Ghost
by MetalFoxSolid
Summary: What if Judy didn't meet Nick during the Night Howler Case? That's what happens here. Judy solves the Howler Case alone and becomes a respected officer. One day she is assigned to run security for a band known for starting trouble. She quickly learns that prejudice runs much deeper than just one Sheep. M for Language&Adult Themes. (Maybe NSFW themes later. Don't know yet.)
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note,_

 _Hello everyone. Just some fair warning: This is the first real writing project so plot might not be as strong as some other's. Please comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for clicking on my story; hope you like it!_

* * *

 _ **Ghost**_

 **Chapter One: Let's Start a War**

A small rabbit stood at the door of a rundown bar. Her badge shone in the crude neon that lit the alley way in the Nocturnal District; the smell of urine and alcohol mixed into a foul fog that assaulted her nose. Broken bottles and used needles covered the ground as mammals entered the bar that she was supposed to guard. Mostly predators. Wolfs, tigers, lions, cougars, coyotes, and even the a few bears walked past the small officer. They were dressed in leather and denim; their fur was spiked and colored in all different ways.

Judy took a deep breath as she wondered how she had been stuck with this particular security detail. This was an event that had been on the ZPD calendar for a while, this band was a catalyst for brawls. Unfortunately for her, she had drawn the short straw that morning during assignments and got stuck in the worst side of town at night. She had plans to cuddle up in her small apartment with a good book that night, but instead she was now in the last place a small mammal would ever want to be: surrounded by drunk and likely violent predators. She sighed as she reminded herself that this was the career she wanted, and nobody said it would be easy.

Once all the concert goers were inside, she stepped into the bar entitled "O.M.F.U.M" or "Other Music For Ugly Mammals". The place was packed tight. The lights were turned down so that the stage was hardly visible. Judy found a place near the door where she could survey the whole floor as well as see the stage. The bar owner, an old bobcat in jeans, boots, and a simple tee-shirt, stepped up to the mic. "Ladies and Delinquents. Please give a non-destructive welcome for Wolfbane!" The crowd cheered as the band took the stage.

The light levels only allowed silhouettes to be seen. There were three large shadows and one smaller shadow. Then the opening notes of the first song rung out across the bar. It was just a few simple notes as the crowd provided the opening lyrics. "We are all we have tonight" was the line they repeated. Judy was not too taken aback by the intro, but then the song really got going and the lights shot on. The sound attacked her ears. It was guttural and primal. She tucked her ears to her back to try and dampen the wave of musical rage. The center wolf started singing, well more like a mix between roaring, growling, and singing. He was bare-chested, wearing torn jeans, and combat boots; the fur on his head was spiked up and colored a bright red that extended to his shoulders. The mammals on the dance floor devolved into a whirlpool of fangs, claws, and fur. The bassist was another wolf with a deep blue Mohawk and was dressed similarly to the singer. The drummer was also a wolf, Judy was starting to understand why they were called "WOLFbane", in a torn tee-shirt and long fur that hung over his eyes. The fourth member of the band surprised the shell-shocked bunny. It was a fox in worn jeans, combat boots, and a leather jacket. He was easily half the size of the other three but was almost more ferocious. The fur on the top of his head was half black and half his natural burnt-orange, the tips of his ears were beached to near white. The fox pounded the strings of his guitar at an incredible speed, all while providing back-up vocals and preforming minor gymnastics. Judy couldn't take her eyes off him.

The concert went on into the night; the smell of alcohol was so thick that one could've gotten tipsy by simply inhaling. At some point Judy had gotten over her initial shock and tried to listen to the music. It was fast and abrasive, packed with frustration and passion. It was a marked difference from what she usually listened to; her HidePod was full with Gazelle, Kitty Perry, and Christy Agorilla. The only thing she had ever heard that was even in the same ballpark as this was Five Seconds in the Sahara, and even that wasn't close. She couldn't tell if she liked it or not, all she knew was that it was different and raw.

About halfway through the show four deer walked into the bar and stood in the back; they obviously hadn't seen the bunny, because after another song had ended they pulled out rifles and opened fire on the crowd. Some fell while others fled. Judy dove behind the bar. Then she heard a gun discharge that differed from the deer's. She peeked out and saw the fox firing on the assailants. He was taking cover behind the dead body of the singer. The bassist was on the side of the stage, wounded but ok, and the drummer was hiding behind his kit. As the fox fired again, dropping one of the deer, Judy remembered that she had a gun and a radio to call for back-up. "Hello? This is Officer Hopps at the O.M.F.U.M bar in the Nocturnal District requesting armed back-up; we have a 12-75. Multiple wounded, one confirmed dead," she practically screamed into the radio. As she turned to draw her weapon she heard a yipe. She turned to see the fox clutching his shoulder, his jacket was pulled back so she could see his white wife-beater underneath; a wife-beater that was quickly turning red. Her eyes went wide at the sight. She then turned and fired on the shooters; she dropped one and forced the other out the door.

A minute later SWAT busted the doors down to see a blood covered bar. There were over twenty bodies, some writhing and moaning, others still and silent. There were three dead deer along the wall near the door. As they moved to the stage they found Officer Hopps tending to an unconscious fox.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Thanks to every one who followed and commented! Here's Chapter 2!_

* * *

 **Chapter Two: I Wanna Be Sedated**

"Hopps!" called a deep, rough voice. Judy barely registered that there was a water buffalo prying her from the unconscious fox. Chief Bogo peeled the shaking bunny away from the fox as the paramedics rushed to his side. He could see the glazed look of mixed terror and adrenaline in Judy's eyes. She shook in his arms unable to speak; all she did was look at her bloodied hands.

"Sir?"

Bogo turned from the quivering rabbit to a dark furred wolf.

"Yes, Delgado?" was his curt reply.

"Sir, some grim news. The count is fourteen dead and seven injured, three of those are in crit condition. The fox that Hopps was nursing is one of the three." Delgado reported.

"Fuck" Bogo cursed under his breath. "What of these deer? Who are they and what the hell were they doing?" the chief asked.

"Well," the wolf scratched his neck, "we aren't sure. They have no I.D. and as for what they were doing I think that's pretty clear."

The buffalo heaved a deep sigh, "Good work, Delgado. Call me when the CSI get here. I'm getting Hopps to the E.R."

"Yessir," was the response as the haggard police chief exited the building. Bogo handed Judy to one of the present paramedics and got in his car and headed to his office; it was going to be a long night.

Judy never stopped shivering; the events of the past fifteen minutes were on a never ending replay in her head. It was like slow motion, she saw every wince of pain in the fox's face, she saw how the bullet hit the one deer that she had shot, she saw all the hurt mammals on the floor. It was in vivid detail, but the most haunting part was when she had secured the building and rushed to the fox on the stage. She didn't even know why it was him she ran to, she was running on instinct. 'Why would my instinct be to run to the FOX?' she wondered as the scene played on in her head. As she knelt next to him he gave her a puzzled look; he was struggling to breath and was fading fast. She tried to remember her medical training and applied pressure to his wound. He winced in pain and took a sharp breath. Judy could feel his collarbone shift under her palm; it felt as though his entire shoulder had shattered. The light in his eyes was starting to fade. "Don't you leave me you dumb fox!" she yelled at him. He gave a pained grin at that. Judy then looked up as four cops with heavy body armor busted through the door; when she looked back down to the fox he was unconscious.

After that everything was a blur. She knew someone had picked her up and carried her out, but all she could see were her paws soaked in blood. There were lights and various voices asking her various things; she would answer without even thinking. Dumb questions like, "What is your name?" or, "How old are you?" and, "Do you know where you are?" Actually she couldn't answer that last one. After hours, or minutes she didn't know, of these questions she was brought to a room and sat on a bed. She felt a prick in her arm and her already hazy world turned to black.

Slowly Judy's world came back. At first it was her hearing; an awful ringing noise that was almost deafening. Then her sense of smell; she could smell a clean scent waft through her room. Slowly Judy dared to open her eyes, and what she saw frightened her. She opened her eyes to a bright white light that blinded her. Then, as her eyes adjusted, she couldn't recognize her room; it was only when she noticed the heart monitor that she realized she was in a hospital. A doctor walked in presently, she was a small wombat with her nose firmly in her charts. Judy watched her walk to the foot of the bed and peek over the foot rail. "Oh!" came her nasally voice, "Miss Hopps, good to see you are awake. From what the nurse told me you were pretty out of it when you were brought in." Judy thought as hard as she could manage but she didn't remember anything after the shooting. The doctor saw Judy's confusion. "Don't worry about it, sweety. The good thing is that you are safe and awake. Everything seems to have settled down so I should be able to release you soon." the wombat said with a smile as she turned and left Judy alone.

Soon a nurse, a young tiger, came in. He had a tray of food and a small glass bottle. The tiger set the food down on the small table in the room and prepared a syringe.

"Excuse me? What is that needle for?" Judy asked.

"Hm? Oh it's for your arm, ma'am. You were grazed by a bullet last night." the nurse replied.

Judy was puzzled, "Why do I need a shot?"

The tiger smiled, "It's justa simple pain killer. You had to get a few stitches last night. They did it while you were sedated." The tiger put the needle in Judy's I.V. and pressed the plunger. Judy felt all the aches that she didn't know she had disappear. As the nurse was about to leave Judy remembered something important.

"Wait." She called. The tiger turned with a quizzical look. "Was there a fox brought in last night from that club shooting?"

The tiger frowned, "Yes. He just got out of surgery a few hours ago. I heard that his injuries weren't too severe, he just lost a lot of blood." Judy felt a weird peace fall on her, like some weight had been lifted.

"Can I get his name and room number?" Judy asked eagerly. The tiger was hesitant but replied, "Yeah, room 328 in the recovery wing." He then turned to leave again. "His name?" Judy insisted. The nurse answered over his shoulder.

"Nick Wilde."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello everybody! Just want to say thank you again for all the follows. It really means a lot to know that y'all like the story. Remember to comment!_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Gunshot**

Judy walked down the bleach white corridor in the civvies that the chief had brought from her locker at the station. She missed the crispness of her uniform as she headed toward the room she had been pointed to. She arrived just as a nurse was leaving. "Excuse me," Judy asked meekly, "is this Nick Wilde's room?"

The antelope turned to answer, "Yes. He just woke up and is a bit groggy. Do you know Mr. Wilde?" she asked sweetly, smiling down at the rabbit.

Judy dropped her eyes and replied, "Not very well."

The antelope smiled, "He can use a friend about now. Go on in." With that she opened the door for the rabbit. Judy stepped in as the door closed behind her.

Judy took stock of the room as she entered. It was a smaller room with just a few furnishings: in addition to the normal medical equipment was a table with a single chair, a floor lamp in the corner, and an old television from before she was born. There was, of course, the hospital bed that held a very confused fox. 'He looks so different from last night' Judy thought as they looked at each other. He was very different, his whole right shoulder was bandaged and he was in a gown instead of his leathers. The fire was still in his eyes though it was hidden by fatigue and pain. He wasn't bad looking; in fact he was quite handsome, even in this state. Judy just stared at him.

"Well. The fuck do you want?" the fox asked after a very long few seconds of silence.

"What?" Judy asked, startled out of her thoughts by the blunt statement.

"You came in here and stared at me." He said matter-of-factly. "Did you want something? Or did you just want to ogle me?" Judy didn't really know why she had come, just that she had to, or wanted to, or something. She didn't know how to begin.

"H-how are you feeling?" she asked nervously.

"Like I took a bullet. So I feel like shit, but that fucking beats dead." He shot back with almost a glint of playfulness in his eyes.

"Oh." Judy said quietly.

"Why do you wanna know and who are you, anyways?" the fox asked.

Judy looked up and stated, "I'm Judy Hopps and I was in the bar last night. I saw you get hit and…I wanted to know if you were alright." 'Needed to know if I'm honest' she added, but only in thought.

Nick took a deep breath and let it out, "See? Livin' and breathin'. But you were that cop, right?" Judy nodded. "So why ain't you drilling me for facts about the shooting or what I saw or why I had a piece?" Nick asked distrustfully.

"Because that's not why I'm here." was the answer.

"Oh? And why are you here?" the fox pried.

"Just to see if you were ok." The fox scoffed, making Judy slightly angry. "What?" she asked.

"Cops don't see if people are 'o.k.'. They clean up the mess that they were too late to prevent and then inform the necessary people that loved ones have died/been killed and move on with their day. They question witnesses and fail to catch the villains half the time. That's what cops do." The fox said this all with a level voice and a straight face, but his eyes were tornados of rage and hurt. It slightly unnerved the bunny that he could be so turbulent yet so calm at the same time, but she regained her composer.

"No. That's not what we do. I'll prove it. I will catch the mammals responsible for this." She said this with confidence and determination; she turned to the door and only stopped when she heard the fox laughing.

"Oh now that is cute. You think you can catch 'em." the fox chuckled.

Judy turned on her heel and glared at him, "Don't you know that calling a bunny 'cute' is highly specist?" she seethed.

"Yes." was his curt answer. "I just don't care. Besides, you won't catch those deer. They were ghosts."

Judy was a fluffy ball of rage at this point, 'How dare he both doubt my ability AND call me cute?' she thought.

Nick was just trying to keep his composure as he looked at her, 'Does she know she gets cuter the angrier she gets?' he wondered.

"What do you mean 'ghosts'? They looked real; real enough to put a bullet in you." snapped the agitated bunny.

"What I mean is that this isn't the first time this has happened, just the first time a cop has been involved." Nick explained. "These guys, always prey, walk around in matching outfits knocking off preds. A stabbing here, a shooting there. The cops never care, usually peg a pred for it and cart the innocent bastard off to the zoo. Like I said: cops ain't worth shit. If you wanna safe street: you make it safe yourself. That's why I carry everywhere. I've broken up a few ghost attacks before. No one knows who they are or why they target us; all we know is that we have to fend for ourselves."

Judy straightened her back and smiled with a determined look, "Well I care. I will take these so called 'ghosts' down."

The fox scoffed again, "Good luck, long ears. Sounds to me you have no knowledge of the streets."

Judy humfed and stuck out her hip with her arms crossed across her chest. "I know more than you think, fox." she retorted. And with that she turned and walked out.

As she walked out Nick just chuckled and shook his head. 'The little fluff has no clue.' he thought.

'What am I thinking? I have no clue about what happens on the streets…' Judy fretted as she walked down the hallway. 'I just need to not think about it. I have to give Bogo my report as soon as I get back to the station. I can worry about that fox, and catching ghosts, later.' she reasoned as she exited the hospital and flagged a taxi.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey there, folks. I know that this might be getting repetitive but I just want to thank everyone who has commented and followed my story. It really does mean a lot. But you aren't here to read this, you're here to read what's below that little line. So go on in! Hope you like it._

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Holiday in the Sun**

No matter how hard Judy tried, she couldn't keep her mind off of the situation she had made for herself. The taxi bounced around the Zootopian roads while her thoughts bounced around her head. 'What am I supposed to do? I probably won't be allowed to work this case due to my personal involvement. Besides I will be sent on temporary leave because I fired my gun, and there has to be an investigation as to if I did the right thing. Which of course I did. But still how can I fulfill my promise to Nick?..." Judy pondered all of this as the taxi stopped outside a large building marked "ZPD Precinct: 1". Judy paid the driver and went inside.

The first thing Judy heard as she entered was a high-pitched squeal that originated from the very round cheetah that sat behind the reception desk. Judy just sighed and smiled at the cheerful cat.

"Hi, Ben." She said as she approached the desk.

"Hey, Judy!" was the energetic reply. "Sooooo glad to see you up and hopping." He giggled at his joke. "Bogo wanted you to report to him as soon as you got back."

Judy sighed, "Ok. I'll head over there now. See ya later, Ben."

"Bye! And good luck!" He said as the bunny turned towards the chief's office.

Judy walked towards the large wooden door at the back of the lobby. It had a frosted window that read:

 **"Chf. Bogo**

 **Precinct 1**

 **Zootopia police dept."**

She knocked on the door and heard a grunt from the other side. She took that as 'Come in' and opened the door. The office was smaller than one would have expected. It was dark with the blinds on the one window in the back drawn. There was almost a haziness that hung in the stiff air. In the middle of the room stood a large, dark oak desk. On this desk was a very old computer, a small desk lamp, and three or four stacks of paperwork as tall as the bunny. Behind all of this was a very tired and perpetually irritated water buffalo. He sat there with his head in a file with the dull yellow of the lamp and pale green from the computer shining on his face. Judy hopped into one of the chairs opposite the chief.

"Hopps. Report?" Bogo asked gruffly without looking up.

"Huh? Oh right." Said the bunny quietly. "Well, sir, I was at the O.M.F.U.M bar to run security for the event that night." She started.

"I know that much." The chief said, putting down the file. "I need to know what you did in response and what you saw."

"Well when the deer started shoot I dove behind the bar for cover." Judy said.

"Then?"

"Then I called for back-up…" Judy said reluctantly

"What happened after that?" the chief was becoming concerned with Judy's hesitation.

"I uh I heard gunshots that didn't match those of the shooters. I peeked out and saw a fox firing back on the deer." Judy said slowly. The chief scribbled on a note pad. Judy continued, "The fox was then injured, this is when I fired on the remaining deer." Judy's voice wavered as she realized that she had shot at mammals and killed one. "W-when the b-bar was secure I-I went to the f-fox to provide m-medical assis-assistance." Bogo looked sympathetically over the piles of paper at the bunny. Judy's head was down and her ears laid back. She stared at her hands that were folded in her lap. "It was about that time," she said with forced composer, "that SWAT came in. Everything's a bit blurry after that."

"Very well." said Bogo. "Well, Hopps, I am putting you on paid administrative leave."

"Yessir." was the uncharacteristically meek reply.

"But I do have an assignment for you in the mean-time." Judy raised her head in confusion. The chief sighed hard, "I know this will be tough but I need you to look into this shooting." He tossed a file towards Judy. "All of the survivors that would talk to us said that this was not the first time this had happened. Apparently there is a gang running around terrorizing Predators."

'Nick was right.' Judy thought, 'The ZPD really doesn't know about the ghosts.'

"I want you to find out as much as you can about this group and report back to me. This needs to stay hush-hush. Here." Bogo produced a cell phone and placed it on the desk in front of Judy. "This is an encrypted phone, only good for calling my personal office phone and its brother," Bogo held up an identical phone, "which I will carry." Judy just nodded. "You will be on your own, just like the Night Howler case, but I know you can do it. Now pack what you need from your desk and locker, tell no one about this. Understand?" Judy nodded again. "Good. Be safe, Hopps. Dismissed." With that Judy took the phone and the file and left the office. She gathered her spare uniform and change of clothes from her locker, as well as her spare phone charger from her desk and went home.

As she rode the bus home her brain was a running a mile a minute. She first worried about how she was supposed to catch this gang, then she thought about the bar shooting and nearly lost her composer. She could not believe that she had shot and killed another mammal. She dwelt on this as the bus came to her stop and she got off. As she walked to her apartment building her thoughts went to the fox. As she climbed the stairs she thought about how bad he looked that night, 'That night? It was only last night…' Judy thought as she reached her door. As she put her things away she thought about how alive he seemed at the hospital. His eyes were filled with as much fire as before he was shot. He even cracked a few jokes. 'How could he be so…so normal?' Judy asked herself, 'I mean he was shot. He acted like it was simply a scratch.' Judy moved from there to what he said about the ghosts. 'It sounded like he knew something about them. Maybe I can get him to help me! But wait he hates cops…but hold on a minute!' She dialed her phone.

"Hey, Judy!" came the excited voice.

"Hey, Ben. Can you do me a favor?" Judy asked.

"Anything for my favorite bunny! Watcha need?" the cheetah replied.

"Can you search the Firearm Permit list for a Nick Wilde? Wilde with an 'E' on the end."

"Sure thing! Benjamin Clawhowser on the job. Just hang on a sec." The line cut to hold music for two minutes. "Ok," the cheetah returned, "so there's no name on the list that matches the one you gave me. I also ran Nicholas but no luck."

"Uh-huh. Thank you, Ben. See ya around!" Judy said.

"But why did you-" said Clawhowser as Judy hit the 'End Call' button.

'If that fox doesn't want to help me on his own I can make him.' thought Judy triumphantly as she walked to her bathroom to shower for the first time since the shooting; with a bit a spring back in her step.

* * *

I know it's taking a while to get to the plot. It will pick up here soon. Sorry for such a long build up. Thanks again for reading! Don't forget to comment so I can hear what you think and feel about this story.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi everyone. Sorry for the slow burn of this story. It will continue this trend for another chapter or two. Don't worry it will pick up soon. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me despite the slow rate._

 _Now I feel I need to explain the chapter titles. You may have looked at the title and thought 'That's a weird title' and after reading it you understand the name a little but it's still strange. This title has nothing to do with chapter on its own so here's why I chose it: all of the chapter titles are titles to songs as well. Each song must have a feel that matches the chapter either in tone or in lyric. There may be some stretches but they are what resonate with me. Daly City Train is a song that I feel encapsulates the feel of this chapter. Check out the song if you want to know more; I'm pretty sure it's the only song with that title. So with out further ado: enjoy the chapter!_

 _P.S. Imaginary bonus points if you can name the bands that all the songs come from._

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Daly City Train**

Judy woke up the next morning with a new energy. She felt like she had been brought back from the dead. There was an eager excitement in her. She took another shower and made breakfast. By the time she had gotten ready to go confront a certain fox it was 10 A.M. a very late start for her. She headed to Zootopia General Hospital to see the todd. She stepped into the large building and walked up to the front desk.

"Hello!" Judy chirped to the mouse at the desk.

"Oh. Hello, miss. Can I help you?" he squeaked back.

"Yes. Can I get the room number for a Nick Wilde?" Judy asked.

"Nick Wilde?" the mouse tapped at his computer. "Species?"

"Fox."

"Ah yes. Mr. Wilde. He checked out this morning." Was the answer.

"Oh…" Judy's ears dropped in disappointment. "Do you have an address I can find him at?"

"Hm. One moment; I can check." The mouse said. As the receptionist clacked at his computer Judy's phone buzzed. When she opened it she found a text from Clawhowser.

'Hey Judy! I did a little looking into Nick Wilde. And boy does this guy have a sheet. He was in and out of Juvi between the ages of 9-17. After that just some drunk and disorderly's. That's the Fox; there is another Nick Wilde but he's a Giraffe accountant at Lemming Bro's. I dunno why you wanted me to search him up but be careful, Judy. Bye!' Judy just sighed at the cheetah's protectiveness.

"Ahem." The mouse squeaked.

"Oh. Yes?" Judy said, slightly embarrassed.

"Mr. Wilde currently lives at 2196 East Cornwall Street. Apartment number 6." Judy took out her note book and copied it all down.

"Thank you and have a safe day!" Judy said as she left.

"You, too." the mouse replied as he turned back to his work.

Judy skipped out to the curb and flagged a taxi. She gave the driver, an elderly yak, the address and sat back as the vehicle drove off. Judy watched out the window as the bright skyscrapers and modern buildings turned to dingy apartment buildings and rundown businesses. She realized that they were heading to the Nocturnal District. The thought of being back in this part of town unnerved her; thoughts of the bar flooded her memory as the yak drove deeper into the ghetto. By the time they reached the desired address Judy was shaking. 'All that blood…' she thought. She was broken out of her trance when the driver announced that they had arrived. Judy paid the yak and stepped out onto the dirty pavement that made up the side walk. What stood before her was a four-story brick building with a sign that read:

"Black Flag Apartments

Est. 1976"

'I didn't expect much, but this place is a dump.' Judy thought as she walked up to the wooden door. It opened with a creek and the scent of ancient cigar smoke hit the rabbit in the face. Her eyes adjusted to the dim interior of the old building. The floor was covered in a faded red carpet that looked like it was once quite grand. The ceiling was low with some decorative lights; most of which didn't work. There were some old leather chairs in one corner around a stained, wooden coffee table. The lobby was long and led to a desk with mail slots behind it. Judy walked to the desk to see a sign saying: Let yourself up. So she looked around for the stairs and went in search of room 6. She found her grail on the second floor. She could hear people talking behind the door. She knocked on the door three times and waited. She heard the door unlock and was greeted by a fox. It was Nick. He was bare chested aside from the bandage that covered his right shoulder, he was also bare-foot; the only thing he was wearing was a pair of faded green camouflage shorts. His face sported a sullen look, his eyes downcast and bloodshot, his ears tucked back, and there seemed to be tear streaks in his fur. He was holding a beer in his paw and he just stood there looking at the bunny. Judy didn't know what to do.

"Notta good time, Hopps." Nick half whispered as he shut the door in Judy's face. She took a second to process what she had just seen. She thought that maybe she should come back later.

'No.' Judy thought. 'I need that fox's help.' So she knocked on the door again. The answer came much swifter than last time. The door flew open to reveal a now angry Nick.

"I said NOT NOW!" he yelled in a voice broken from hours of sobbing. Judy didn't know what to do but as he began to shut the door she instinctively darted into the dingy apartment. It took the fox a half second to realize what she had done, and when he did he wheeled around at her with a vicious look in his eye.

"What the HELL?!" the fox screamed at the bunny. "So help me it will be a miracle if you get out of here…" Judy's mind was now a whirlwind of terror and worry.

'Would he really kill me?' she thought. Then a larger figure appeared behind the enraged fox. It lifted him up and put him on the couch where he proceeded to break down into tears. Judy looked to her savior to see a wolf dressed similarly to Nick looking back at her. Judy's eyes widened then the wolf cracked an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, longears." His deep voice spoke. "Nicky's taking Joey's death pretty hard. Also he's drunk off his fluffy ass." Judy just looked from the wolf to Nick's quivering body and back. "Where're my manners? I'm Spike. Do you need something to drink?" the wolf offered.

"A cup of water would be nice." Said the rabbit meekly.

"Sure thing." Spike said as he walked to the kitchen. "Go ahead and take a seat. Don't worry about Nick. He probably doesn't even remember what just happened." Judy nodded and took a seat next to Nick, who was curled into a ball as sobs wracked his body. Judy looked around the room and found it not as bad as the rest of the building. It was dark but relatively clean. Of course there wasn't much to clutter up the space. There was a small table with some folding chairs in the back corner, the couch she was currently sitting on and an old recliner. She turned her attention back to the fox by her side. His sobs had calmed a bit, but he was still whimpering. She felt awkward just sitting there, doing nothing. So Judy tentatively reached out and pet Nick's tail. Nick entire body tensed up then slowly relaxed as his whimpers quieted down. Spike just stood in the doorway dumbfounded. Nobody could go near Nick's tail, much less touch it, but here was this bunny that he had never seen stroking it without as much as a dirty look from the fox. He shook his head and entered the room.

"Here's your water." He said as he held out a cup to Judy.

"Thank you." Judy said quietly as she took the cup from the wolf.

"So," Spike started, "how do you know, Nicky?"

Judy took a sip of her water and said, "I, uh, I was the cop in the bar shooting."

"Yeah? Why are you here now?" Spike questioned.

"I was hoping to get him to help me with something." Judy said as she looked to the fox that now seemed to be sleeping.

"What with?" Spike leaned forward in his chair.

"I…" Judy paused, 'Do I really want to tell him?' she thought as she glanced to the wolf. 'Sigh I guess I don't have a choice…' She took a breath and said, "I want to go after these 'Ghosts' but I can't do it alone, and there isn't enough on file for an effective investigation. I talked with Nick in the hospital and it seemed like he might know something; I was hoping he would help." Spike leaned back.

"He probably wouldn't mind helping." He said to Judy's surprise. "He has a history with them, a bad one. He would be more than happy to help to take them down."

"Really?" Judy asked. "What kind of history?"

"Well ghosts have been around just about as long as Zootopia. It's a group of prey that believes that predators owe them for what we did in the olden days." Spike explained. "The way these shits go about getting their quote-unquote payment is by killing preds. Nick's parents were killed in an attack. That was when he was about nine. Cops didn't spend much time on the investigation and convicted his uncle or something." Judy couldn't believe that was what really happened to the fox she was petting. Spike continued, "Roughly five combined years in Juvi and twelve foster homes later, we decided to start a band. The rest is history."

"Wait so you knew Nick that whole time?" Judy asked.

"Not the whole time. I met Nick when we were both twelve. It was his third foster house and my second. We became like brothers." Spike said with a sad smile.

"And you were in the band?"

"Yeah. I was the drummer. I was in that club, too. I ducked out when Nick started blasting the bastards."

"So Joey was the singer?" Judy asked after a pause.

"Yeah. He was a good guy too. Tommy's still in the hospital. We've all known each other since the age of fifteen at the latest." Spike reminisced.

"But…do you really think Nick will help me? I mean I am a cop and it seems that there is no love lost for cops with Nick." Judy asked.

Spike opened his mouth to answer but the voice came from Nick. "I will help you, carrots. And as for the disliking of cops: yes. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And I hate ghosts more than I hate cops. So count me in."


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey there. Two chapters in two days? What? Well I felt that that last chapter and this one could have gone together as one chapter, but that would've meant reformatting and I'm lazy. Enjoy Chapter 6(or chapter 5 part 2)!_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Ever Fallen in Love with Someone You Shouldn't Have?**

Nick watched over his shoulder as the bunny's ears shot strait up and her eyes, a vibrant purple, gleamed with happiness. "Really?!" she beamed as she removed her paw from his tail; an action the made the fox internally sigh in discontent. He also saw the stunned yet also sly knowing look on his friend's face; he was, however, still to hammered to realize why.

"Yeah, fluff. I'm gonna help." Nick reassured as he unraveled himself. His fur was matted due to the tears and spilt alcohol. The smell of beer emanated from him. When the scent reached Judy she let out a squeak as she wrinkled her nose away from the smell; even Spike turned his head and coughed. Nick noticed, "What?" he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Nick," Spike said, "you've gone on benders before, but you wreak, bro." The bunny beside the fox just nodded. Nick assessed himself and found the accusations true.

"Damn, well fuck I guess I should shower." He stated nonchalantly as he got off the couch and walked to the bathroom. "Hey, Carrots, I won't be long so stick around."

"Hm? Um…Ok." Judy replied. The fox disappeared around a corner and the sound of water running began. Spike looked to the confused bunny and sighed.

"Better make yourself comfortable." the wolf said.

"Why?" Judy asked, "He said he'd be quick."

"Yeah he did; he is also still very drunk. He's just gotten good at hiding it." Spike said as he rose from his chair. "He's gonna be forty minutes to an hour, so would you like something to eat? We do stock some veggies; there might be enough for a basic fruit salad." Spike walked to the kitchen and Judy followed.

"That would be nice. I haven't eaten since this morning." She said thankfully.

"Alrighty then." Spike said with a smile as he assessed the refrigerator, "We have strawberries, an apple, and some slightly wilty lettuce."

"That will be fine." Judy said. Spike got the ingredients out. Judy spotted a blue jar behind him. "Are those blueberries?!" she asked excitedly.

"What? Oh yeah." Spike answered, "But don't touch'em. They belong to Nick. They're the only non-meat substitute he will eat; he absolutely loves'em."

"Oh…" said the now disappointed bunny.

"Yeah sorry." said the wolf. "The last one to touch Nick's berries was Joey. He got three stitches that night courtesy of a certain red fluffball."

"Oh." stated a surprised rabbit.

"But he might let you have some…" Spike said with an evil grin. The type of grin only a brother gets when he's about to mess with his sibling.

"Why?"

"Well, Nicky might have something for you, cottontail. If nothing he trusts you more than anyone else." said the smirking wolf as he made the simple salad for Judy.

"How can you tell?" asked Judy, her interest piqued.

"Well he let you pet his tail." Spike said as he added a few blueberries to the bowl. "No one touches Nick's tail."

"No one?" asked the curious bunny.

"No one." said the wolf as he set the bowl of roughage down before the long eared mammal. "Last person to touch his tail was this weasel back in the foster houses. I think the kid's name was Duke. Anyway, Nick was about had just turned thirteen and he's just sitting there reading something and Duke comes up and yanks on Nicky's tail. Now normally it would've started a bit of a tussle but nothing major; we were boys. But Nick turns on this kid and asks him if he'd pulled his tail. Duke said, 'Yeah and what're you gonna do about it?' Well next thing we knew Duke's getting his ass pounded into the curb. Duke went to the hospital with cuts and a broken rib, and Nick went to Juvi with an aggravated assault charge. And that is how Nick won trip number two to Juvi. He spent like two years on that one."

"So am I in danger?" asked a nervous Judy.

"Nah. Even in his grossly intoxicated state he would've reacted. Instead, you petting his tail calmed him." Spike took a sip of the beer he'd been nursing the whole time, "I think he likes you."

"But he doesn't even know me. How can he 'Like' me?" Judy asked between bites of the not-half-bad salad.

"Well foxes can go through the long process of getting to know someone and falling in love like everyone else, but on rare occasion a fox will meet someone and imprint on them." Judy just cocked her head in confusion. "Imprinting is like the whole 'love at first sight' thing." Spike elaborated, "The difference being that the one they imprinted on is the only one they will ever really love."

"So…you think Nick imprinted on me?" Judy asked.

"From what I can tell." shrugged Spike. "He never showed any interest, or patience, for a girl before. He let you pet his tail, and you saved his life. Also when he was rambling earlier it was half grieving for Joey and half fawning over this girl; whom I believe is you."

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" muttered a bewildered Judy as she finished her salad.

Soon the sound of water stopped, followed by the 'whir'ing of a fur-drier. Soon a cleaner, more sober Nick walked into the kitchen. He was wearing new shorts, and that was all. He ignored the wolf and bunny at the counter and went straight to the fridge. He opened the door and reached for his blueberry jar. He paused as he noticed it was out of place. He wheeled around on his heel and said in a growling voice, "Who. Touched. My. Berries?" Judy sat on the counter shocked and frightened while Spike took a step towards the seething fox.

"Nick. I took a few of your blueberries to make a salad for our guest." Spike said as he motioned to Judy. When Nick's flaming green eyes locked on the rabbit his anger melted into embarrassment veiled by indifference. "I hope that's alright." Spike said.

"Y-yeah." Nick stuttered. "No, uh, no-no problem." Nick exited the cooking space leaving a petrified bunny and a very smug wolf.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello again everybody. At last I checked this story has 40 follows! That is so much more than I was expecting. Thank you all for supporting this project, I really do appreciate it. Well enough of me. On to the story! (damn I'm a nerd...)

* * *

 **Chapter 7: What Was I Thinking?**

The next hour consisted of awkward conversation between the fox and bunny as the wolf sat by in pure amusement. After what seemed like days they had decided that it was best to get as early a start on their new mission. The plan was that Nick would pick Judy up at her apartment around eight that night, and go talk to a friend of Nick's that knew a lot about the underground happenings of the town. Nick walked Judy to the door and let her out with a smile; when he turned around, however, he wore the face of one who had just seen a ghost. He was only greeted by a wide, toothy smile from Spike; a smile that screamed 'Knock all my teeth out'. Nick resisted the urge as he leaned against the door, his eyes shut tight.

"So…" started Spike.

"Shut up!" said Nick forcefully without looking at the wolf.

"But I didn't-"

"I said shut the fuck up, you smug son of a bitch." snapped Nick. He knew where his friend was going and he would rather be in Hell than stuck in the conversation that he was vainly trying to avoid.

"What?" asked Spike with his paws up defensively. "I was just going to say that she was nice." He said this with a smile that was even smugger than the last.

"Do your ears not work?" asked Nick as he walked back to the couch. "Because I am pretty sure I told you to shut it but you just keep going."

"There's no dodging it, Nicky."

"Dodging what?"

"You like her."

"Do not."

"Do, too."

"Fuck off."

"I win." Spike leaned back while the fox stewed.

"What the hell was I thinking?" asked Nick, turning to face his friend.

"Whatcha mean, pal?" Spike asked feigning ignorance, while his face showed he knew exactly what Nick meant.

"You know, dumbass." Nick said impatiently. "Why did I say yes to helping that cute little fluff?"

"So you do think she's cute." Spike said as he suppressed a giggle.

"Not the effing point, fuckhead. Why did I agree to help a cop? A cop! If anyone finds out I'm dead." Nick was becoming distressed. "I mean all I've done is shit talk cops since I was a kit. I've written songs bashing cops. I've fought cops."

"Thank god they were off duty." Said Spike as Nick continued.

"Now I'm throwing in my lot with a cop. A fuckass bunny cop, too! What the hell was I thinking? What were you thinking?" Nick pointed an accusatory finger to the wolf. "You should've stopped me! Why didn't you stop me?"

"I didn't stop you because I'm not your caregiver. I'm your roommate. Plus I think this might be good for you." explained Spike. "You've never shown any kind of patience for any kind of female. Then here comes this bunny. You not only had patience for her, but also showed interest."

"Interest?" Nick said indignantly as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah, bro." Spike affirmed. "You let her pet your tail."

"I was just being nice…" Nick muttered.

"No. You weren't just being 'nice'." Spike said adamantly. "Nobody can touch your tail. Last kid who tried wound up in the ER, remember?" A proud grin stole across Nick's face. "Plus you let her have some blueberries. Your blueberries. When was the last time you let that slide?" Nick opened his mouth to answer then shut it again. "Exactly." Spike resumed. "There's something more to this bunny, and you know it."

Nick knew his friend had cornered him. He had had the weirdest feeling when Judy was in the room. As if he had swallowed a brick of lead or that his stomach had become a giant knot. It wasn't a bad feeling, in fact he liked having her on the couch next to him, but it was something that scared him. He had never felt like this around anyone; he'd had his nerves get riled for sure but never to this scale. He refused to admit what he feared was the truth.

"Imnotinlovewithher." Nick mumbled, not liking that his friend had gotten him into this corner.

"What was that?" pried Spike knowingly.

"I said that I'm not in love with her." Nick said, unable to look the wolf in the eye.

"Keeping telling yourself that, Nick." Spike said as he got up. "Where does the bunny live?"

"She said it was the Grand Pangolin Apartments on the Lower-East side of Downtown."

Spike looked to the clock. "You better get moving. It'll take round about an hour to get there and it's six-fifty."

"What?" said Nick, now slightly panicked. "Shit." He said as he raced into his room. He emerged a minute later in black jeans, a tee-shirt for the band 'White Flag', his normal leather jacket, and boots that came almost to his knees. "How do I look?" he asked as he gave himself a once over.

"Why do you care?" asked Spike with another shit-eating grin.

"Fuck off." snapped Nick, simply because he had no real answer.

"You look foxy, fox. Now get."

Nick gave an appreciative look as he flipped his friend the bird and darted out the door to his car.

Meanwhile Judy was wearing a rut into the floor due to her anxiousness. She lacked the benefit of having a close friend to talk to, so she was left alone with her thoughts. And her thoughts were key on driving her to the brink of insanity.

'Does he really like me?' she thought. 'Could a fox really fall for a bunny? And what would it mean if he did? What would I do? I mean I may think he is quite handsome but'

"Who do you think is handsome?" came a deep voice from next door.

"Be quiet! Don't you think the little lady wants some privacy?" came another voice.

'Oh sweet cheese and crackers. Did I say that out loud?' Judy thought, now fretting.

"Yes you did." the first voice rung through the paper thin wall.

Judy turned as red as a turnip under her silver-gray fur. She hid under the covers on her bed to try and hide from the fog of embarrassment that now filled the small apartment. As she snuggled under the soft comforter for protection the memory of stroking Nick's tail came to her and she wondered what it would feel like to curl up in it.

'Whoa.' Judy mentally jumped. 'Where did that come from? I mean it would be nice but I doubt he will ever let me go near his tail again. It was soooo soft though.' she thought happily. 'What would it be like to sleep with something that soft?' this thought startled Judy more than the last one. 'Hold it a second there, Judy. Did you just picture going to BED with a FOX? Your natural predator? What would people think? What would your family think? What would your parents think? Oh lordy, my parents. They would have his hide, and then they would have mine.' Judy worried about this for a while. 'But why should I be afraid? This is Zootopia.' She reasoned. 'Where you can be anything or with anyone.'

She was yanked from her thoughts by her phone ringing. She eyed the caller I.D. and it was an unknown number. She slowly fingered the answer button and raised the device to her ear.

"Hello?" Judy asked tentatively.

"Hey, carrots. It's Nick. I'm about ten minutes away so-HEY WATCH IT FUCKER!-sorry. So justa heads up."

The line then went dead as Judy sat on her bed in dread. She hadn't even noticed the time and now she had almost no time to get ready. She scrambled to put together an outfit. What she came up with was a pair of navy blue capris and a forest green blouse with a brown cardigan. She examined herself in the mirror to make sure she looked perfect.

'Wait why do I care that I look good for him?' she thought. She wasn't allowed to answer herself because at that moment came a knock at the door. She slid her foot-protectors on and opened the door to see the very fox that had been the cause of her distress.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello everyone! Hope everybody was safe during Hurricane Matthew. Thanks for following and commenting. I know I say this every chapter but I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read and comment on my my story. It really does mean a lot. Anyway, enjoy the newest chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Seeing Double at the Triple Rock**

He just stood there leaning against the door frame. Judy waited for him to come in or motion to follow or speak or something. After an awkward few seconds of not-staring at each other, Nick cleared his throat.

"Well." He said. "We gonna go?" pointing over his shoulder.

"Yes, uh, just, um, let me get my things." Judy stuttered as she backed into her room. "Just one moment. Stay right there."

Judy quickly grabbed her phone, wallet, keys, and her small personal side arm. Whilst she did this a myriad of things ran through her head.

'Oh my gosh am I really doing this? It looks like he tried to dress up, too. He looks put together. Does that mean he really does like me? What impression am I giving? I tried to dress nice, too. Does that make it look like I like him, too?'

On the other side of the door Nick was having his own mental journey; traveling at warp nine.

'Do I not look good? Maybe my breath smells. She does look cute in that outfit. Did she dress up in that for me? Does she like me? Why would she? I don't like her. Do I? Fuck why is this so fucking complicated?!'

The mental torture for both of them was halted when Judy opened the door again.

"Ready to go?" asked Nick.

"Yep. Let's move." Judy chirped as she hopped past the fox.

Nick watched as Judy hopped down the stairs of her apartment building. It was bigger than his and much more crowded. Neither of which he personally liked; Nick loved that his building was smaller and had less people, a great mixing of intimacy and privacy. Judy's place was cleaner and smelled better though.

As they got near the bottom Nick stepped ahead of the rabbit and held the door for her. Judy was actually impressed by the unexpected move of chivalry. She smiled at Nick and he quickly turned his head away. This disappointed Judy a little. She followed the fox around to the alley between her building and an adjacent storefront. In the dim sliver of city she saw Nick open the door to his car.

"Hop in." he said, with a confident grin.

Judy just nodded. She got in the other side and quickly found out why bachelors have the reputation they do. First it was an old car, it would have been nice at one time but it had obviously had a hard life. The faux-leather was faded and torn in places, it smelled of smoke and gasoline, and there was trash everywhere. Thankfully her legs were too short to touch the pile of beer bottles, take-out boxes, and god knows what else in the foot well. Nick put the key in the ignition and the car sputtered and ground its why to life. Nick let out a relived sigh that greatly worried the bunny. He operated the clutch and shifted into first as he pulled out of the alley.

After about five minutes of not-so-comfortable silence Judy tried to strike up a conversation. "So." She began, unsure what to say. "What kinda car is this?"

"It's a '77 Pontiyak Trans-Ham." Nick shot back with pride. "V8 6.6 liter engine that spits out two hundred break horse-power."

Judy just nodded and smiled. She knew what none of that meant, so she went back to looking out the window. What followed was an hour of stop and go traffic spent in total silence. This gave the two occupants of the vehicle a chance to survey the city in which they lived.

Judy had lived in the big city for a year now and still found herself marveling at the giant glass buildings that made up the Downtown district. The towering Lemming Bros. building with its sharp lines next to the dwarfing Burj Khatlifa with its intricate levels stood out from the rest. It was all so different than her old life in the 'Burrows. Life was no less busy back then, nor less crowded, but the feeling of being stifled was unbearable. In Bunnyburrow the only options she really had were to join the family farm or get married and join the family farm of her husband, neither of which sounded enjoyable. Here in Zootopia, however, anymammal could be anything. Here all she could see was the prosperity and light that seemed to shine from every nook and cranny. Even as they crossed into the Nocturnal district she could see the light. She could see the stories of the buildings and the history they held. In that history she saw a hope that all mammals could live in the brightness of Zootopia.

Nick, on the other hand, had lived in this city all his life and that life hadn't been an easy one. Where Judy saw the light of hope, Nick saw the shadows of reality. Under the glow every skyscraper he saw the gloom of a slum. Behind every façade of prosperity he knew there must be a frame of hard working people struggling to get by. Nick had been disillusioned long ago. He saw, he knew, he lived the reality of this city. When they finally made it to the Nocturnal district he saw not only the past, but the future, too. He saw what happens when good intentioned mammals try to help those they deem 'less fortunate.' He saw the cheaply made housing and buildings falling apart. He knew the shops that used to be run by neighbors that had now closed due to wealthier and more powerful mammals trying to 'help' the poor. Life had been tough on the streets, but "good intentioned help" had made the Nocturnal district into what it had become.

Nick pulled up into another small alley next to their destination: a bar called the Triple Rock in the Nocturnal District. Nick swung out of the car as Judy looked around.

"Another bar?" Judy asked in disbelief. "I would think you would be done with bars forever after the…" Judy fell silent.

"After the what?" Nick asked, as he continued to walk towards the door.

"The um other night." Judy struggled to say as she followed the fox.

"You live in the slums as long as I have," Nick said, "you see all sorts of shit in bars. A shooting isn't going to scare me off." Nick opened the door for the bunny. Judy entered and was suddenly not with Nick anymore. She was standing in the door way of the O.M.F.U.M, there were dead mammals everywhere. Judy froze, her frame slightly trembling.

"Hey." Judy heard from a long way behind her. "Hey, carrots. Snap out of it." Judy felt a paw on her shoulder and she was instantly back in the door way of a quiet bar. "What was that, fluff? Are you ok?" Nick asked still holding the door.

"I'm…yeah I'm fine." Judy lied.

Nick searched her eyes for something; he shrugged and said, "Alright well get inside. I'll buy ya a drink."

Judy walked up to the bar, following Nick, and sat down on one of the stools. While Nick talked to the bar keeper she surveyed the room. It was smaller than the O.M.F.U.M was, presumably for smaller mammals. There were wooden tables and chairs scattered around the bar with a small stage in the back with an old jukebox on it. There were maybe five or six other mammals in the place. It was quiet, quaint, and overall nicer than the O.M.F.U.M. Judy was pulled from her thoughts by a pretty female otter coughing while holding up a drink for her. She smiled and took the glass, and the otter went back to wiping glasses and conversing with other clients. She took a sip and her taste buds exploded in glee. She turned to Nick. "What is this?" she asked holding out her glass of orange liquid.

"It's a Saharan Sunset." Nick answered while sipping his beer.

"What's in it?" Judy inquired.

"Two parts Carrot Juice, one part ginger ale, and one part vodka." Was the reply as Nick downed the rest of his mug and the otter promptly supplied another. Judy hummed happily into her glass as Nick watched her. He was relieved that it had worked; he had just come up with the drink while talking to the barkeep when they had walked in. After another mug and a half of beer for Nick, and a quarter of a glass for Judy, a small white fox walked out of the office. He made a bee-line for Nick.

"You little fuck." Spoke the diminutive fox in a deep, gravelly voice. "What the fuck did I tell you? Call before you visit!" With that the small fox hugged the larger fox fondly.

"Finnick, don't you think it's a bit turned around for you to call me 'little'?" Nick jested. This comment earned him a solid punch to the shoulder. "AH! Fuck!" Nick winced in pain.

"Nick are you ok?" Judy asked nervously.

"Don't be a wimp, Orange." Finnick said, "That was a love tap."

"Just to let you know, Albino." Nick said through clenched teeth. "That was the shoulder I was shot in." Finnick's eyes shot open as the blood ran from his face.

"Oh shit, Nick. Sorry. I didn't know." Finnick apologized.

"No. It's cool." Nick said as he stretched his arm while Judy and Finnick watched nervously. "I need some info, old chum." Nick said as he returned to his third mug of beer.

"What on?" Finnick asked, getting a mug of his own. "Not planning on getting back into the underworld are ya?"

"No nothing like that." Nick said. "I need info on the Ghosts." At this Finnick sputtered. After a solid thirty seconds of choking he replied.

"The Ghosts? Are you fucking crazy?"

"Yes." was Nick's strait faced answer.

"Well I shoulda figured." Muttered the small fox as he took a long swig. "What do ya need to know?"

"Is there any news as to more organized attacks from the bastards?"

"'Fraid not, pal." Finnick said as he refilled his cup.

"Is there any news?" Nick asked.

"Well…there is one thing…" Finnick said hesitantly.

"And?" Nick pried, with Judy leaning in.

"I shouldn't tell you." Finnick said.

"Tell me anyways."

"I shouldn't"

"Come on."

"I really sh-"

"Finn, please?" Nick begged.

"Well…"

"Fuck it already, midget. Tell me!" Nick said in a hushed yell.

"Alright, alright. Keep your fucking pelt on." Finnick gave in a he finished his second beer.

"Finally." Nick sighed as he polished his third off and started a fourth. Judy was about halfway done with her drink.

"Well the bar that got shot up is owned by Mr. B." Finnick whispered.

"B doesn't own that bar. Hilly does." Nick countered.

"No." Finnick explained. "Hilly RUNS the bar. But Mr. B owns the building and gets a cut of the revenue from Hilly."

"He can't get much from there. Not enough to make a difference." Nick argued.

"You know Mr. B. If you mess with his friends, he messes with you." Finnick stated. "And Hilly was a friend of B's old man. So now he's on a war path against the Ghosts. Why did you wanna know?"

"We," Nick motioned to Judy, "are going after them." Finnick looked to Judy and back to Nick before he busted out laughing.

"You?" he said between fits, "You two are, Ha, go-going to try and bring them down?"

Judy and Nick looked at each other and back to the white fox and replied together, "Yes."

Finnick stopped laughing and got a very stern look on his face. "You two know it's likely to get you killed, this quest you're going on, right?" They both nodded. "Welp good luck." Finnick said as they all finished their drinks. "Now If you're going to do this." Finnick said looking at the bottom of his empty mug. "You need to get going." Nick and Judy nodded.

As they got up Nick said, "Go ahead to the car, Hopps. I'll pay and be out soon."

"Ok." Judy replied as she walked to the door.

When Judy was out of earshot Finnick whispered, "What's with the bunny?"

"She's helping me, or I'm helping her rather."

"Why does she want to take down the Ghosts?"

"Long story, Finn. Another time." Nick started for the door.

"Wait. You like her don't you." Finnick said.

"It's not like that." Nick denied.

"You imprint on 'er?" Finnick pried.

"Fuck off." Said Nick as he exited the building.

Finnick just chuckled to himself when Nick left. "Lucky fuck imprinted on a bunny." He said to himself. "I got an otter."

"A-HEM." Was the response he got from the otter behind the bar; who just so happened to be his wife.

"A beautiful, sexy otter who isn't going to kill me tonight." said Finnick, trying to save his ass.

His wife just put on an evil grin as he swallowed hard. "We'll see." is all she said.

Finnick sighed and resigned himself to his fate while wishing Nick the best of luck with his.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hello again everyone! Get ready for the same old spiel: Thank you every one for following and commenting on this story. It means a lot. Ok and that's not just a joke, it really does mean a lot. I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has given a suggestion or left a critique. It really helps my writing and gives me ideas on whereto go. I read the comments religiously, so I see all of them and they do help. Thank you again._

 _Well strap in y'all, this is the longest chapter yet. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Freeze Up**

Nick let the door shut behind him as he turned toward the car. 'Little bastard.' thought Nick angrily. 'Just because he imprinted outside his species doesn't mean we all do.' Nick stuck his paws in his jacket pockets as he turned down the alley. He refused to admit to himself what was obvious: that he had imprinted on Judy.

Judy looked up from her phone when Nick's shadow played across her face. His muzzle was formed into a firm scowl, and his entire demeanor burned with an uneasy fire. He appeared angry on the outside, but anyone with eyes could see that there was something hidden beneath the façade. The fox opened his door and shut it hard, making the bunny jump. He breathed heavily and was caught in deep thought. Nick just sat there in silence. He didn't try to start the car, nor did he even look at Judy. She could see conflicted thoughts shooting around behind his eyes like bullets. He finally heaved a deep sigh and started the vehicle.

As Nick pulled out onto the streets Judy worked up the courage to say something.

"Is everything alright?" she asked tenderly with genuine concern.

"Uh-huh." Nick grunted.

"Are you sure? You seamed out of sorts when you got in the car." Judy pushed, not believing the guarded vulpine.

"Just fine." Nick assured with a not-so convincing tone.

'So you wanna play Mr. Tough-guy, huh?' Judy thought to herself. 'I'll crack that wall, Wilde.'

Nick continued to drive. He was not happy about the decision he had made, but he'd never backed out of anything he set for himself. He drove past the exit for downtown and towards Tundra Town.

"Um, Nick?" asked a worried Judy. "Wasn't that our exit?"

"Not for where we're goin'." Nick said with as much grit as he could muster.

"Aaaaaaand where would that be?"

'A hotel.' Nick's brain quipped.

'What the fuck? No.' Nick's reason rebutted.

"To see an old business partner." Nick's mouth said.

"Oh…" Judy said, still obviously confused but resigned not to press the matter.

As they drove forward into the night the temperature started to drop. Judy had begun to shiver, seeing that her cardigan was more decorative than functional and Nick's heater didn't work. Nick noticed and shimmied off his jacket to offer her. It was a simple act that, again, surprised Judy. She smiled and took the gift. It was warm and smelled of the fox. It was not what she had expected; it had a tinge of sweat but it mostly had an earthy, robust musk. Under any other circumstance she would have found the scent revolting, but for some reason this scent, his scent, was like a sweet perfume to her. She looked over to her benefactor. The cold didn't seem to be affecting him, but she could see he was pacing his breathing and clutching the wheel tighter than before.

Suddenly the car was bathed in yellow light as they passed through the tunnel under the dividing wall between Savanah Central and Tundra Town. Even in the tunnel the temperature dropped. Judy snuggled into Nick's jacket while Nick mentally braced himself. When they emerged from the pale yellow of the tunnel into the dark whiteness of Tundra Town the air in the car seemed to freeze. The roads were wide and barren. Every shop was closed and buried under many feet of snow.

Judy had never really been to Tundra Town. Sure she had to track down that limo back in the Night Howler case, but she hadn't been back since. The snow sparkled like land locked stars. Speaking of stars there were none to be seen; instead there was a great band of multicolored lights dancing across the sky. She was filled with awe at this magical sight.

She turned to Nick to remark on the lights, but was instantly silenced when she saw him. He had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. All his fur stood on end and his breath was akin to fog banks rolling across water. His face was contorted into an angry scowl. It was a determined anger. He seemed to be angry at the cold.

"Nick? Are you ok?" Judy asked from her warm haven.

"F-f-f-f-fine." Nick stuttered through chattering teeth.

"Do you want your jacket back?" Judy offered as she started to unravel herself.

"N-n-no." Nick said. "Y-y-you n-need that m-m-more than I-I do." He reached over tucked the jacket back around the small rabbit. "W-we'llllll be there soo-soon."

Judy sighed and settled into her seat. She would soon realize that Nick Wilde was a liar, because an hour later they pulled up to their destination. It was now a quarter to midnight.

Judy could barely see the building through the heavy snow fall. A large white creature, she couldn't make out what it was, walked up to the car and said something to Nick. Nick, who was now more popsicle than fox, a foxicle if you will, drove up to a large mansion. He turned off the vehicle and they both exited into the arctic sheet of snow.

After a run to the large oak doors both rabbit and fox found refuge. The door was shut behind them by a polar bear wearing a fashionable black suit. They were ushered into a small parlor with a lit fire place. Nick rushed to the fire. He huddled in front of the warmth, still shivering. Judy walked up to him and punched him in his good shoulder.

"Ow!" Nick exclaimed. "W-what the hell, fluff?" He wore a betrayed look on his face.

"You should have let me give you the jacket." Judy scolded. "You could have died in that cold!"

"Y-you needed it m-more." Nick said with his eyes to the fire.

"I would have been fine. You were nearly frozen." Judy said while brushing ice off the fox's fur.

"You're sm-smaller." Nick said, the warmth finally getting to him. "And you have shorter fur as well. You'd've froze long before me." He pulled his jacket around his shoulders as Judy placed it on him.

"Even so it was a stupid thing to do." Judy pouted as she sat next to the fox.

"Stubborn bunny."

"Dumb fox."

There was a comfortable silence as they both took in the embracing warmth of the fire. Presently the door to their right opened to reveal a tired but intimidating polar bear. Nick shot to his feet, and Judy followed his lead. The bear sat in the large felt chair directly in front of the fire. He held out his right paw that sported a golden ring with an emerald. Nick bent forward and kissed the ring.

"So." The bear started in his rumbly voice, with a heavy Russian accent. "What is it that you are wanting from, Mister Big?"

"Well I'm Offi-" Judy began to introduce herself.

"No-one." Nick interrupted Judy. "She's no one." He flashed a smile to the bear hoping for a sign. The bear simply narrowed his eyes.

"Nick!" Judy said angrily, "I am not no-one. I am Officer Judy Hopps of the ZPD. We were hoping you could help us." Nick's hand hit his forehead so hard he could have given himself a concussion. The bear growled.

"Nicholas." The bear said whilst glaring through the fox's skull. "Why would you bring an officer of the law here?"

"Listen, Kozlov. It's a very long story. The thing is that we aren't here for your boss. We're here for the Ghosts." Kozlov's face took on an air of surprise. Judy meanwhile was just confused.

"You two are going after the Ghosts as well?" the bear asked.

"Yes." Nick said hurriedly. "I was shot during the O.M.F.U.M incident. This bunny here," he said motioning to Judy, "was the cop in the bar. She asked me to help her find the sons of bitches and take them out. Word on the street's that you guys aren't too happy with'em either." Kozlov sighed and nodded.

"Hilly has always been a good friend to the boss. When he heard about the shooting, Mister Big was furious. He is currently visiting Hilly. What did you want to know?"

"We need any kind of clue or lead on the inner workings of the Ghost organization." Judy stated proudly.

"Much strength in such a tiny form." Kozlov said with a hint of amusement. "I will tell you what I know." Judy whipped out her note book. "We don't know much about the Ghosts. We do know that they call themselves the Prey Protection Force or the P.P.P."

"Wait." Nick said. "P.P.P? Isn't force spelled with an 'F'?"

"They spell it with a 'P-H'." Kozlov shrugged. "Anyway. We know that they have multiple chapters lead by a central organization or committee or something. We only know the locale of one chapter. It is a small chapter in the dock area of the Canal District."

"Would you happen to have the exact address?" Judy asked as she finished scribbling what Kozlov had just said.

"Yes. It would be warehouse thirteen on the Great Mammoth dock." Kozlov said. "Will you need anything else?" the bear offered.

"We have all we need to start with." Judy said chipperly, causing the bear to chuckle.

"Wellllll that was great. Thanks for the info. Gotta run." Nick said quickly as he pushed a protesting Judy to the door.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Kozlov asked as he stood.

Nick grimaced and turned, "We have to get going. It's a long drive back to the Nocturnal District from here, and I have to drop Judy off at her apartment."

"No no no." Kozlov said shaking his head. "It is late and the road is very dangerous so please, ostavat'sya. Stay. You can sleep here. Be my honored guests."

"Nick let's stay. Mr. Kozlov is right. Plus you might not survive another drive in that blizzard tonight." Judy said.

"Judy I really don't think-" Nick began.

"Nicholas. If you are worried about your debt: don't be. You are fighting our enemy. In this war we will both need allies." Kozlov said with a warm smile. Nick's shoulders dropped as he realized the bear and the rabbit were right.

"Alright." said the fox sullenly.

"Yippee!" exclaimed the rabbit while Kozlov just smiled and nodded.

"Follow me. I will show you to your room." Kozlov said as he turned towards the door Nick and Judy had entered.

They followed the bear down countless corridors and parlors until they reached the end of a hall with large wooden French doors at the end. Kozlov opened the doors to reveal a succulent apartment with a living space, a small kitchenette, two bedrooms, a private bathroom, and a massive window that over looked a frozen lake. There was a red carpet that covered the whole apartment save the kitchen and bathroom that each had deep blue tile patterns. Everything from the curtains to the seats to the lamp shades were covered in a royal shade of purple. The colors may have clashed but it all gave a sense of immense wealth.

"Enjoy jour stay." Kozlov said as he closed the door, leaving the two smaller mammals alone.

The first thing Nick did was check the fridge while Judy investigated the one of the bedrooms. It was a huge room with a large four poster bed with mountains of pillows in the middle. On either side of the bed was a night stand, each with a decadent reading lamp seated on them. There was also a walk in closet as well with a hard wood vanity set that any girl would die for.

When she walked across the living room to investigate the other bedroom she saw Nick lounging on the sofa with a beer in paw, gazing out on the frozen lake. He had removed his boots, socks, jacket, and shirt leaving only his jeans. As she walked by she thought that she could get used to seeing that every day. She promptly shook the thought out of her head and examined the second bedroom. She found that it was identical to the first. She skipped out to the living room to tell Nick about the rooms.

When she got to him she discovered that he had fallen asleep on the couch with a half-finished bottle of beer. She sighed and took the beer from his paw. She then removed one of the thousands of pillows from one of the beds and put it under his head while also draping a comforter over his unconscious body. He snuggled into the blanket and Judy giggled and found him absolutely adorable. He looked like a little pup. She then retired herself to bed.

It was hands-down the most comfortable bed she had ever lain in. The covers were smooth and soft, and the pillows made it feel like her head was resting on a cloud. This coupled with the feeling of being hugged by the mattress made Judy fell like she was in Heaven.

Just as she was about to fall asleep her brain decided to keep her up. Suddenly her head was filled with the car ride in Tundra Town and how Nick shivered in the cold. 'Dumb fox' she thought. Then she thought about what he had said in the parlor about the jacket. 'He said that I needed it more.' Her thoughts continued, 'He said that if he hadn't gone without I would have died. Did he really risk freezing to death to keep me warm?' Her brain wrestled with that for a while. It got so bad the she left her bed to get a small cup of warm milk to calm her thoughts. As she walked to the kitchenette her eyes wondered to the fox. He seemed peaceful. She smiled and whispered a thank you as she passed him.

After she finished her drink she went back to bed. This time she was able to get to sleep, but that didn't stop her brain. She had a vivid dream that night. It started where most of her dreams ended: with her locking up some criminal. She was then in a house. Not her apartment. She heard her child cry from the nursery. 'My child?' Judy paused briefly only to be sprung back into action by another cry. She rushed to the crib to soothe her baby. It was a small fox with grey fur and deep green eyes. She didn't find it strange that her child was a different species at that moment. Then her husband came in and pulled them both into a hug. He whispered in her ear that he loved her. She smiled and pulled him into a loving kiss. When she broke the kiss she saw a very handsome fox standing over her. She recognized the face and her eyes shot open. He asked what was wrong, but she was then suddenly thrust from her dream in a cold sweat. "I dreamt about…and we were…we had a…" Judy struggled to form any coherent thought. "It was great and…and…oh sweet cheese and crackers." Judy fell back on her bed in complete bewilderment, unsure what to even think.

Nick, on the other hand, had an even worse night. He sat on the sofa looking out onto the frozen lake pondering the day's events. 'Why did we come here?' he asked himself. 'Why am I helping a cop? Sure she wants to take down the Ghosts, but how can I trust her? I've seen to many crooked cops and badge carrying bullies. I've seen cops get away with murder because they hid behind that gold shield on their chest. They don't give a shit about real justice; all they care about is keeping us delinquents in line and padding their pocket books. I bet the only reason that bunny was in that club was to keep us in check.' Nick stewed on this while he gazed out the window. He watched as Judy walked from one bedroom to the other; taking special notice of her tail. 'Damn.' Nick thought, 'That's a nice-wait. The fuck? I am not checking out a bunny. I don't care if Spike and Finn are right. I refuse to be imprinted on a fucking cop. And if I am well fuck me then. I would rather live alone than with a fucking bunny cop. She isn't even any use! I've done ninety percent of the actual investigating. All she's done is take a few notes.' Here Nick yawned. 'Fuck I'm tired.' He then leaned back and as soon as he was prone, he was asleep.

Nick entered into the world of dreams immediately. Unlike Judy's, his was a world of fear and darkness. It began as most of his nightmares did; with the death of his parents. His family owned a small tailor's shop in the Nocturnal District. It was an average day, his dad was sitting at the sewing machine and his mom tending the register, he was in the back room with his uncle Terry. Then two pigs walked into the store. They pulled out identical pistols, Flock 9mm. One shot his dad and the other shot his mom. Terry rushed out with his Flock, it was a popular gun, and fired twice at the pigs, missing both times. When the police showed up they arrested Terry and bagged up his parents. He was left alone with a bull cop until child services arrived. He was then shipped off to a temp house where he lived for three months waiting for the investigation. The police refused to believe Terry's testimony due to him being 'untrustworthy' as a witness. Terry was ultimately charged with the murder and sentenced to death.

In his dream Nick saw the execution, though he was not present for the real thing. He watched as his uncle was strapped to the seat. He saw the executioner, wearing a black mask, walk up to the switch and flip it. His uncle's body jumped and writhed from the electricity flowing through. When the state sponsored hitman turned the switch off his uncle sat motionless; a doctor then pronounced him dead. Nick glared at the killer and saw the bright badge on his chest. Nick attacked the executioner. Ripping off the mask he found himself staring into deep violet eyes. A feminine voice whispered, "You let past hurts cloud your present judgement and your future happiness. Forgive, move forward." Nick was taken aback by the voice; he recognized it but couldn't place it. He found himself unable to harm the figure in front of him. He fell back as he began to weep. The familiar voice spoke again, "I'm sorry."

Nick awoke clutching the pillow. He was distraught and emotionally unraveled. He thought about the words of the voice in his head. 'Forgive?' he thought as he looked at a picture of his parents that he kept in his wallet. 'Never.'

* * *

 _I edited Kozlov's accent out of the text. I did originally write it in but after a comment or two on it I decided to make it an easier read. Thank you for the quick feed back! Thanks for reading!_


	10. Chapter 10

Hey there everyone! Sorry about the delay, I was feeling a little uneasy about this chapter. I think it should be good now though. Also there wont be another update for a while, school is getting pretty clustered and with all the essays I have to write I'm getting spent. Not to mention the massive writer's block I've had for a while. I will keep working so don't worry but I don't want to rush anything. I only want to give you guys the best I can do.

On a happier note this is chapter 10! Didn't think we would ever get here. I am honestly surprised. Thank you all for following and supporting this story.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Officer**

Nick got up from the couch and shuffled to the bathroom. He checked the mirror to see his fur in a tangled mess. He grunted in frustration as he relived himself. When he had finished he stretched and walked to the kitchen. He pulled out a few eggs and the carton of milk from the gold-plated refrigerator. 'Who the fuck needs a gold fridge in their guestroom?' Nick wondered to himself as he searched for a pan. 'Where the fuck does that fucking shrew put his fucking pans?' Nick thought, as he became slightly frustrated at how long the search was taking. He finally found a pan, and promptly tossed it on the small stove top. He opened the carton of milk and took a swig from it, as he waited for the cook surface to heat up. Once at the proper temperature, Nick cracked three eggs into the pan and began to scramble them. When the eggs were done he placed them on a plate with some blueberries from the fruit bowl that sat on the small island.

Judy was broken from her bewilderment caused by her dream by the smell of breakfast cooking. She had been wide awake due to said dream from the previous night. She figured a good breakfast would help her calm her nerves. She walked out to see the very fox that had troubled her standing before the stove. 'Is…is he cooking breakfast?' Judy thought in surprise. His auburn fur was a tangled mess but she could see the definition of the lean muscles under the nest. He didn't seem to notice her as he piled all of the eggs onto a single plate and walked to the table and began to eat. Judy decided to walk over to him a say hello. So that is exactly what she did. She walked up in a jovial manner and produced the friendliest hello she could muster. Nick simply glanced to the rabbit and grunted.

Judy was confused by the cold greeting. What shocked the rabbit the most was the look in the fox's eyes; it was a fiery mixture of hate, anger, and hurt. She felt like she had to address the sudden change in her partner's mood. "Nick." She started, "Is everything o.k.?"

Nick didn't even look to her when he responded, "The skillet is still hot. Cook something if you want, cop." Nick's voice was cold and biting. Judy felt like she had just been punched in the gut.

"Did I do something?" Judy asked, confused as to why Nick was being so hostile.

"Yes and no." Nick said as he to a sip from the milk carton. Judy watched him in slight disgust.

"What did I do?"

"I dunno, officer." Nick replied in mock respect as he got up to put his dishes in the sink. "What did my parents do?" He wheeled back and glared at Judy. "What did my uncle do? What did he do to earn the death penalty?" Nick was beginning to tear up but his anger cut through the tears. "What did I do? Huh? What the FUCK did I do to the Z.P.D as an eight year old kit to make them kill my family?!" Nick stood before the bunny trembling in anger with righteous tears rolling down his fur.

"Nick…" Judy said to herself as she looked upon the devastated fox before with compassion. She could see that he was broken inside, but refused to let her see the cracks. "I don't know what happened in that investigation, but you can trust me."

"Like hell." Nick growled just above a whisper. "Cops. You. Your kind, they just treat the symptoms of the underground. You lock up the victims while the real criminals escape. You put the smalltime thief behind bars and call it a victory for justice while my friends are attacked and arrested simply for being different. You categorize us as vandals, dissidents, and delinquents." Nick's voice began to rise. "You wage war against us by calling us violent, radical, bigoted, and stupid. The fact is that we are hardworking, devoted, and extremely tolerant. We don't judge people based on their species, we judge on their behavior and beliefs. But people like you, members of 'proper society', condemn us simply because we're different. They threw my uncle's testimony out of the case for the sole reason that he was a fox, and everybody knows you can't trust a fox. Tell me, where's the fucking justice in that? There's gangs running this city, MY city, and you fucks aren't doing anything about it! As a result of your apathy for us 'cretins': kids die. You didn't know a thing about the Ghosts until you were unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire. Preds are hunted and targeted for abuse. The promise of Zootopia is equality between predators and prey. Bullshit. The reality is that prey use the banner of equality to oppress preds due to offences made against them generations ago. So please, Officer Hopps, tell me that Zootopia stands for peace and the Z.P.D. upholds true justice." Nick stormed past the rabbit. It was Judy's turn to be enraged.

"How hypocritical can you be?" Judy shot back.

"What?" Nick spat as he turned back to face the bunny. They both glared into the other's eyes. Emerald fire clashed with violaceous ice in an epic, silent battle.

"I asked how you could be so hypocritical." Judy said in as close to a growl as she could get; Nick nearly melted at the tone.

'She really is cute when she's angry.' He mused as he attempted to recompose himself. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"You say that you don't judge based on someone's looks," she started, her voice low, " but you have passed judgement upon me and the entire police force of Zootopia because a few made a bad call." He voice changed from defensive and angry to sincere. "It was terrible that your uncle died because people had prejudices against foxes. You have to understand that that is not the majority of the police force. We are trained to protect all species, but there are statistics that show that certain demographics are more likely to commit certain crimes. So yes we do target select mammal types for more scrutinous observation. And for the bit about only treating the symptoms: that's all we can do. Would you like to have police locking you up in jail because you might commit a crime?" Nick slowly shook his head. "Didn't think so. All we can do is deter mammals from committing said crimes and punishing those who do commit them. We aren't always right and we know that. There is very little that the police can do for street gangs, but we try our best to get the bad guys off the streets and help the good guys escape. So please don't hate all cops for the actions of a few."

Nick just looked at the bunny in shock. He couldn't believe that this little rabbit had just verbally dressed him down, but he was not fully swayed. "How do you explain the constant oppression of predators in our society? Media attacks us, cops attack us, and disgruntled, delusional assholes literally kill us. What do you have to say about that?"

"Those problems don't exist." Judy rebutted.

"Oh really?" Nick shot back, "So what happened in the O.M.F.U.M wasn't real? The evidence we got from Kozlov was false?"

"No but that doesn't mean…" Judy started.

"Yes it does." Nick interrupted. "Look closely at the t.v. shows. Preds are always the bad guys or the jerks. News portrays us as violent and bloodthirsty. A pred robs a bank the headline reads 'Violent Predator Holds Up Local Bank" while when a prey robs a bank it's 'Desperate Mammal Robs Bank". See the difference? How about all the deaths down in the slums: the murders? Nobody cares. But what happens when a prey is killed? City wide outrage."

"I never thought of that…" Judy said.

"Yeah. The real world is fucked. Stop living in your perfect fantasies." Nick said.

There was a moment of silence between the two. "You still need to trust us." Judy said quietly.

"What?" Nick said. "Trust you?" He chuckled. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"The police are here to be the line between those who wish to harm and those whom those people wish to harm. We aren't perfect by any means, but Nick please give us another chance. Let us earn your trust." Judy pleaded.

"Like hell. I gave you a chance and you killed my uncle. I could never trust the cops." Judy walked up to him and took his paws in hers.

"Can you trust me?" Judy asked. Nick looked into her large, amethyst eyes; he became lost in them. He saw sincerity and determination; he saw her tender heart and her steadfast loyalty. Everything he thought he knew about cops was flipped on its head. It was at this moment that something clicked inside of him; he felt that he could trust this cop.

"I…I can try." Nick said.

"Good." Judy said happily, and very relieved, as she pulled the fox into a hug. "Now for giving me such a rough time waking up: get cooking." She smiled triumphantly as she thrust the pan into Nick's hands then trotted over to the bathroom. "Call me when the food's done!" she said as she disappeared.

"Fucking, bunny." Nick mumbled as he opened the gold fridge to get some more eggs for the hungry bunny.

"I heard that!" came a voice from the bathroom. Nick just shook his head.

"Of course you did."

* * *

Well here's a special thing for anyone who was curious about the origins of the chapter titles. Like I said in Chapter 5 they are all song titles, but I don't say what bands those songs are from so I will credit the bands now. Ch. 1: FEAR, Ch. 2: The Ramones, Ch. 3: Rancid, Ch. 4: The Sex Pistols, Ch. 5: Rancid, Ch. 6: The Buzzcocks, Ch. 7: The Briggs, Ch. 8: NOFX, Ch. 9&10: Operation Ivy

Thank you again for reading, following, and/or commenting. See you whenever the next update comes! (Hopefully no more than two weeks)


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey there, everybody! I finally got some mojo back on this story. Thank you everyone who has followed this story and commented. Just so you know in this story if there is a date it is DD/MM/YYYY. I know it can be confusing so I hope that side steps any confusion. Enjoy the way over due chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Land of Treason**

Bogo sat in his office going over paperwork. He had just finished the morning assignments and was settling in for a long day of files. He was still processing papers and reports for the O.M.F.U.G shooting. He was still having a hard time sleeping after seeing that carnage. Even though he had seen countless murder scenes it never got easier, he would still cry about the loss of life. It was the reason he had become a police officer: to protect mammals from danger. Every time something like this happened under his watch he blamed himself.

He had just spent two hours looking at forensics photos of the shooting when he heard a phone ringing. He checked his office line, not ringing, and then his cell phone, nope, finally he pulled out the encrypted phone that connected to Judy's, jackpot. He fingered, or hoofed, the answer button. "Bogo here." He said. "What's happening, Hopps?"

"Just checking in, sir." Was the reply.

"What have you found out?"

"Well we've found out that the attackers, known as 'Ghosts' to the populace, run under the guise of the Prey Protection Phorce, or the PPP." Judy reported. "Also apparently a mobster by the name of Mr. Big is planning to go to war with the Ghosts. That bar was owned by Big and now he wants revenge. Also we discovered the location of a meeting place for the Ghosts. We plan to scope it out tonight."

"Good work, Hopps." Bogo said as he translated what he had heard onto a note pad. "Just two questions."

"Fire away, Chief!"

"First: there is a wide spread term for these guys? How long have we not known about them? And second," the chief cleared his throat, "who in the living hell is WE?"

"Oh well uh…" Judy bumbled. "Answer one is that these guys have been around a long time. How long is impossible to tell but one person did say that they've been around since the founding of Zootopia."

"Alright. And for answer two?" the chief pressed.

"I uh well ya see I umm well I might've enlisted some help from someone who knows more about this side of town than I do." Judy answered nervously.

"And what would this person's name be?"

"Nicholas Wilde?"

Bogo plugged the name into the police data base. "You do know," Bogo said in a flat tone, "that this fox has been arrested three times for petty theft and two charges of aggravated assault as well as been implicated in multiple heists, has been involved in three shootings prior to this most recent one, and was nearly arrested for assaulting a police officer. Right?"

"Well, sir, I…" Judy began.

"Not to mention his long history of smearing cops and membership in a violent, anarchist band?" Bogo interrupted.

"Yes but…"

"That on top of my telling you to keep this operation between you and me!"

"Sir I understand, but I needed help and Nick is a good mammal!" Judy burst through the airwaves. "I know he has his flaws and his fair share of history, but I trust him and his anger is not unfounded! I will report back when I have new info. Hopps out!"

"Hopps! HOPPS!? Damn that bunny…." Bogo fumed as he put the phone down on his desk. He continued to look through Nick's file on the computer. "This fox is a piece of work." The chief mumbled as he scrolled down the fox's rap sheet. "He's kept it relatively clean as of late it seems. Four drunk and disorderly's, a couple speeding tickets, and a noise complaint in the last two years. Says here he was one of the mammals in that shooting." Bogo snatched the file to the bar shooting off of a mountain of other files that he would get to…eventually. "Yup," Bogo said as he read the file, "says right here he was rushed to Zoo General." He then clacked at his computer more to find the fox's medical info. "Ah here we go." Bogo said as he finally brought up the file. "Wilde, Nicholas. Age: 22. Species: Red Fox. Sex: Male. Diagnosis: Wound to right shoulder. Severe soft tissue trauma with heavy blood loss. Dislocated shoulder. Excess amounts of alcohol in system. Treatment: Anisthetic administered. Rushed to O.R. where bleeding was stopped and shoulder reset. Admitted: 0056, 12/02/2016. Released: 0900, 12/02/2016. Well at least he wasn't too bad off." Bogo closed the hospital file at looked back at the bar file. "Says here that the fox fired on the assailants. With his history he couldn't have a permit."

He picked up his office phone and called the evidence locker.

"Hey-lo?" a burly voice answered.

"Furbinsky!"

"Oh! Howdy there, chief. What can this ol' badger do for ya?" replied Officer Furbinsky, a badger.

"I need to know if there was a fire arm taken into evidence from the bar shooting two days ago."

"We got a few in. I need more specifics than that."

"I need a gun that was not owned by the assailants or Officer Hopps."

"Let me think…yes. Yes we did get one in here. Case number so I can find it?"

"Case number…" Bogo checked the file, "3272-315."

"Alrighty, gimme just a sec." There were a few minutes of silence with the distant sounds of shuffling boxes. Soon the old badger was back. "Got it right here. It's a beaut' too, chief."

"Can you tell me who it's registered to?" The chief asked.

"Sure thing. The tag says it belonged to a Joey Fangstead."

"Belonged?" asked the chief.

"Yeah. Report says he was one of the casualties. It's a darned shame."

"Well thank you, Furbinsky."

"Anytime, chief." The line went dead.

The chief then searched the name that he was given. A short file popped up. Joey had gotten a slap on the wrist for possession of illegal drugs and underage drinking, but nothing that took away his ability to own a fire arm. He was even a registered owner. The chief checked his address: 2196 East Cornwall Street, Black Flag Apartments, Apt. number 6. He thought that address sounded familiar. He turned back to the bar file and found that he shared that address with three other mammals, one of which being the fox.

"Well hot damn." Bogo said. "Judy's gotten herself into a fine mess on this one."

Meanwhile, unbeknown to Bogo, a rat lurked in the vent above his head. The rat quickly scurried down the vent system until he reached the office of a pig. The door on that office read: Deputy Chief Hamilton. The rat then relayed all of what he had just seen and heard to the pig who just a grin across his face. "Well," said Hamilton, "it seems we need to go on a fox hunt."

* * *

 _The title is credited to The Germs_


	12. Chapter 12

Hey there, folks! Well finals were a bitch, but I am back. Sorry about the long waits lately; I've had a lot going on. I had a lot of papers to write the last few weeks so I have been written out. I have recovered now and can hopefully give y'all more steady updates. Thanks to everybody who's stuck around and for following and commenting. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Stay (Faraway, so Close)**

Judy angrily pawed the red "End Call" button on her phone. She was fuming. She was infuriated by the chief seemingly demeaning Nick, but she didn't know why. It's not like she really knew him; I mean they had had some unusually personal moments for mammals who had only known each other for a little more than two days, but this was a tough case and very personal to both of them. Judy wrote the outburst off on the long night she had had and that she was angry because the chief doubted her judgement. She gathered some fresh clothes, her towel, and her soaps and walked out of her apartment and down the hall to the communal bathrooms. She locked the bathroom door behind her and set her things down.

As she disrobed she thought about the drive back from Mr. Big's house. Nick had been quiet on the drive, aside from the beginning when she grilled him about who Mr. Big was and how he knew him. Apparently when Nick was young had he worked as a messenger for Big, as well as a look out on a few of the larger operations; Judy felt like he was not being 100% honest on a few things, but she let it slide. After that the car fell into an uneasy silence; Judy tried once or twice to make small talk but every advance was met by a cold, silent wall of red fur. Soon she gave up and watched the city fly by her as they sped along the highway. When he pulled in front of her building he asked what time he should pick her up. She had been confused by the sudden question only being able to respond with another question inquiring as to why he would need to pick her up. He just rolled his eyes, an action the bunny found both slightly offensive and highly charming, and reminded her of the warehouse on the docks. She had forgotten about that and said that five would be good, he smiled and nodded as he took off in a cloud of black smoke. She then realized that she had been standing naked in the bathroom for a solid six minutes as she replayed the events.

She shook her head and stepped into the shower. She turned the water on and felt it course over her as the heat relaxed her muscles. She began to shampoo her fur, and as she did so she let her mind wander. She thought about her job and the how she got there. She thought about how nice it would be to finally get out of the crappy apartment she was currently living in to one of those cush flats on the upper-East side. She thought about the hustle and bustle of the city and how different it was from the more relaxed feeling she had back home. Of course home was still all hustle and bustle, a few million bunnies in one town made that inevitable, but the city felt so stressed and rushed while Bunnyburrow had a more calm and easygoing feeling. Her mind took her back in time to her adolescence. She remembered growing up on the farm and the annual fairs. She remembered one particular fair when she had a bit of an altercation with one Gideon Grey, but they had long since made up and moved on. Then she moved forward into high school. She didn't have it too bad off in school, but it still wasn't a time she liked to remember. She had dated a particularly smug ass-hole of a guy named Ricky O'Hare. 'I can't believe I ever gave that guy a chance, much less my virginity!' she thought in disgust. 'Well it was my first heat.' She reasoned, 'everybunny makes mistakes, and that one is pretty common.' She still shampooed herself a second time to remove the greasy feeling she got just from thinking about that guy. After that she ignored every guy and not one got under her collar, well at least not any rabbit guys anyway. Her thoughts then flicked to her newly acquired partner. She got a funny feeling in her stomach and got a bit wobbly in her knees, so she leaned against the shower wall.

She thought about the dream she had just had the night before; she closed her eyes and tried to picture it again. She held the little kit in her arms and felt the strong arms of his father wrap around her. A damp, warmth settled between her ears and she realized that the mammal behind her was nuzzling her. She sighed a contented sigh and looked down at the little kit, then she imagined how he was made and her eyes quickly shot open. She turned the cold up to high and finished her bathing routine. She stepped out of the shower chilled and quickly dried off and got dressed. She walked briskly back to her apartment trying to both scrub her mind of the thoughts that she had in the shower and store those same thoughts away for later use.

Meanwhile, Nick had made it back to his apartment on the far side of town. He drove back in the way that he normally drove: windows down, music volume up, and at breakneck speed. Thankfully for him it was about lunch time so there weren't any cops out, and the ones that were, were going the other direction. He made it from Judy's place to his in under thirty minutes' time. As he pulled into his parking spot in the alley, he saw a trademark van that sported a tacky mural of a weasel, dressed like a character from a B-rated fantasy movie, holding an unconscious princess that could have been either a large fennec fox or just another weasel. "What the fuck's Finn doin' here?" Nick wondered aloud as he locked his car door. He popped his back and stretched his muscles as he walked around the corner, in the musty building, and up the stairs to his abode. "Ya'd think the B-man would have comfier fucking couches than that." Nick complained, "My damned back is stiff as an effing board." As Nick opened the door to his apartment he saw the group in his living room. His eyeshot wide open and he darted to the white wolf lounging on the sofa. "TOMMY!" Nick exclaimed in elation as he pounced onto the wolves' chest.

"Hey there, orange!" Tommy said as he and Nick embraced.

Spike and Finnic also offered hellos, but Nick didn't even register them. "How're ya doing, snowball?" Nick asked he climbed down from his friend and brother.

"Sore as hell, man." Tommy answered with a grimace. "Got shot in the leg and had a few buzzers graze me here and there. In total I got twenty-eight stiches, two shattered bones, one cast," here he lifted his leg to reveal a blue cast that matched the fur on the top of his head, "and worst of all a fracture in my middle finger." He now lifted his right paw to show the splint that immobilized most of it.

"I don't think that the broken finger is on the top of your injury list, buddy." Nick said.

"What are you talking about?" Tommy exclaimed in mock distress, "That's my dominate paw! How am I supposed to give the one-fingered solute? I'll have to relearn how to tell mammals to fuck themselves!" There was a silence for a half-second before all four in the room burst into laughter.

"You're a crazy son of a bitch, snow. Glad to see you're up and almost kicking." Nick managed with tears running down his face.

"Thanks. You, too, half-pint." Tommy returned.

"Are you two done jerking each other off now?" Finnic asked after the laughing ended.

"What're you talking about?" Nick and Tom asked in unison. Finnic opened his mouth to respond but Spike cut him off.

"So you were out all night." Spike addressed Nick. "How did it go?" He punctuated this question with an insinuating eyebrow wiggle.

"Things went fine." Nick answered with a smile that Spike knew meant 'Fuck you, asshole. Be careful going to bed tonight.' Spike just returned the threatening smile with a knowing one and pressed on.

"I'm sure."

"Wait a fucking second." Burst Tommy. "Did you catch yourself a piece of tail in the last two days?" he asked an increasingly embarrassed, which also meant and increasingly angry, Nick.

"No." was the short answer from the mammal in question.

"Oh yes he did." Finnic said. "Came in last night with her."

"Fuck off." Nick spat.

"Really, Nicky?" Spike mock scolded, "You took her to Finn's dump?"

"Yes he did." Finn answered for the fox. "She's a nice piece of cotton, too-wait a minute! Did you just call my place a fucking dump, you fucking limped dick piece'o'shit?"

"I call it as I see it, dwarf." Spike shrugged.

"Wait 'piece of cotton'?" Tom asked, and then turning to Nick, who resembled a pressure cooker about to explode, said, "Did you hook up with a bunny?"

"You call my place a dump again I will fucking castrate you with a dull spoon!" threatened Finnic, who was now up in Spike's face.

"Aren't spoons already dull?" asked Spike.

"I could sharpen it to help with the snipping, but I will choose not to give you that courtesy." Finn explained.

Spike laughed at Finnic's ridiculous threat while Tom pressed for more info from the time bomb that was Nick Wilde.

"Shut up!" Nick finally exploded. "I am tired, stressed, smell like shit, and currently have a back stiffer than the wood that makes up your brains! I am going to take a shower to try and fix at least two of these problems, besides I'm going out again tonight. When I get out this fucking bullshit had better be over got it?"

"Yeth, daddy." The other three responded in mocking tones.

"Good." Nick brushed the tone of their voices off and walked to the hall where his room, well as the bathroom, was located. "And never call me 'daddy' again, you fucking homo's." Once he was out of the room and the water was running, the others burst out laughing.

"Ok ok." Tommy said as he calmed down. "What's the story here?"

"Well," Spike began, "he's been enlisted into the ZPD." Here Tommy went dead serious.

"You're joking right?" Finn and Spike shook their heads. "What the fuck happened?"

"It was a combination of things." Spike explained. "First this cop shows up saying she needs his help to catch the Ghosts, right? So Nick agrees 'cause he figures that he hates the Ghosts more than the fuzz."

"Second is because the fuck imprinted on the cop." Finnic said bluntly.

"He did?" Tom asked, slack jawed.

"We don't know for sure." Spike back peddled whilst glaring at Finn.

"Oh please." Finn said. "Have you seen how he looks at her? That vulpine mutt is head over heels for that bitch."

"Anymammal can give a 'look.'" Tommy said. "What has he done, other than let her convince him to work with the cops, that prove this point?"

"Well…." Spike said, rubbing the back of his neck. "When she came here to try and get him to join her, he let her pet his tail."

"What?" Tommy said in shock, "Last person to try touching his tail was that shit back when we was twelve."

"Yeah. Duke Weaselton. That guy's snout never straightened out." Finnic remembered, he had been in the same foster home at the time, but he was almost eighteen at the time.

"Yeah so that happened, then she had some of his blueberries." Continued Spike.

"She just took his berries? And she's still alive?" Tommy asked.

"Well in all honesty I took them to make her a simple salad, but no he didn't do a thing about it." Spike explained.

"Well shit. If he hasn't imprinted on her, he's definitely caught an arrow from Cupid." Tommy stated, blown away that his seemingly celibate little friend had got the hots for someone.

"Yeah." Spike nodded. "It definitely looks that way."

"So you think she's any good for, Nick?" Tom asked.

"She seems decent enough." Spike shrugged as he walked into the kitchen and returned with three beers. "She's certainly not going to be a negative on him." Spike passed the drinks out and sat back down on his chair.

"I agree." Finnic said, as he took a sip. "She doesn't seem like the kind of girl to string a guy out."

"Well good." Tom said as they fell into a silence. "So did I miss any games?" They then moved onto other topics not related to their fox friend and his relations.

Nick was having a conversation all by himself. He had tried to keep his mind clear as the water eased the tenseness in his back, but the end of his dream kept replaying itself in his head. His uncle, his last close relative, twitching in the crude, wooden seat, the large switch being flicked off, his attack on the killer, and the eyes. The eyes. Those eyes were haunting Nick. He was confused the previous night as to whose eyes were in his dream, but after his fight with Judy he knew. He knew when he stopped glaring at her and actually looked, and saw her. Her eyes were the same firm yet pleading eyes that he had seen in his nighttime travels. He didn't know how to interpret this occurrence. He did know that she made him feel different than any girl he'd ever met. Even though he had seen many vixens that he considered to be hotter, this rabbit was more than just 'hot.' The word was too shallow. No. She was much more than merely hot she was…beautiful. There was an elegance to her. From her delicate face to her large, and quite alluring, hips there was just this special something about her. Nick thought about her as he absent mindedly washed his fur; soon he began to feel himself stiffen. Nick immediately cut the hot water and continued in the cold. After he had finished, he got himself dressed and walked straight to the kitchen where he quickly downed a beer before rejoining his friends; who were all snickering at the face that Nick wore that made what had just happened quite clear to them. But they graciously did not inform him of their knowledge.

* * *

Chapter title credited to U2, from the album Zooropa. (yeah I know)


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey there folks! Hope every one had a good Christmas or whatever. To those who celebrate Chanukkah: happy fourth night. I was able to finish this earlier than I had expected so woohoo! This is the longest chapter yet. Took me three days of writing, two days of editing, and one seeming eternity of not knowing what to do. I hope you guys like it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Lock, Step, and Gone**

The rusty old car pulled into a dark parking lot. The gravel cracked and popped as the tires rolled across the uneven surface. Then the vehicle came to a stop, facing across the street at an abandoned warehouse with the words "Elker-Hampster Line" written across the front in faded red letters. The street was dark, most of the streetlights were broken, the only light being cast was from the car and a single flickering streetlight on the corner. All of the parking meters were broken and the stop sign on the corner had been pulled down. The pavement was cracked and full of pot holes, most of the buildings were boarded up. Judy Hopps was astonished at the state of disrepair the district was in; she felt like she was in one of those post-apocalyptic movies some of her coworkers always talked about. She was appalled that the city she loved had neglected a part of itself so drastically. It was her first true look at the city's underbelly.

Nick saw Judy's emotions dance across her face and decided to give her a quick backstory. "Riot," was all he said. Judy just turned her head to him; he was looking out the windows surveying the street solemnly. "This is the aftermath of the riot of '76 or '77. I can't remember. It's also known as the Yuletide or Snowy Riot." Those names struck a bell in Judy's memory, but she couldn't find were that bell was. "It was a weeklong riot that basically destroyed this district."

"What happened?" Judy inquired.

Nick heaved a long, heavy sigh and said, "A shooting. This Zebra comes into work and pulls out a pistol and shoots two Lion coworkers dead. Somehow he gets restrained and arrested. There was some considerable outrage from the predator population, especially when he said he did it to avenge his ancestors that had been eaten by Lions back in the old days. Mammals were already angry and when the killer got a reduced sentence, things went to fucking shit. They demonstrated outside of the warehouse it happened in for a day or two, but then some hotheads began throwing rocks. When the 5-O moved in, they started throwing rocks at them, then bricks, then Molotov cocktails. By the end of the week preds owned about seven blocks in this area. After another few days of rampaging, everymammal started to settle down and the riot eventually stopped. The damage was done though." Nick motioned to the destitute street. "The area was killed. Many of the businesses were burned or ransacked. Those that survived moved across the bay. What was left is what you see."

What shocked Judy wasn't the story she had just heard; though it did amaze her that something like that could happen. No, it wasn't the story, but how the story was told. Nick had rattled it off like he was a history teacher; there was no real emotion behind his words. Everything was simply stated in a matter-of-fact way; as if something like that was normal. Judy couldn't imagine living in a Zootopia where riots were just part of the natural order of things, she refused to. "How do you know so much about the riot?" she asked the fox. "It's not like you were around back then."

"My Grandparents were, though." He said looking to her. "They were actually part of the mob down here. They would tell me stories about it. They passed a few months before my parents." There was a short silence that fell between them. Nick decided to break the semi-tense feeling by opening the door to the chilly night and stepping out. Judy did the same.

Nick walked to the back of the car and popped the trunk; from which he pulled a small wooden baseball bat. He hid the bat in his faux-leather jacket as he and Judy crossed the street to the warehouse Koslov had informed them of.

"What do you need that bat for?" Judy asked.

"Well I don't have my gun do I?" was the hushed answer.

The pair crept up to the dark building. It was a large facility. The concrete walls were tall enough to comfortably accommodate a giraffe. Judy noticed the graphiti that covered the exterior of the building. Phrases like: "What's for dinner? Prey," "Fuck Cops," and "You Shoot Me, I Eat You" gave Judy a true glimpse at the feelings of some of the mammals in the city. She had found out during the Night Howler case that not all mammals in Zootopia were accepting of the relatively new peace between predator and prey, but the writings on the wall were not all old, there were many new marks as well. One of the obviously newer tags that caught Judy's eye read, "Bellweather brand Lamb chops, Sounds Tasty." Even though Judy had seen the sheep's evil first paw the writing still made her feel uneasy. She heard a growling sound and jerked her head to see where it was coming from, it was coming from Nick. He was looking at the wall with angry scowl on his face, the growl coming from deep in his throat. "I would think some of this stuff would resonate with you, but you seem a little angry." She jabbed lightheartedly. What she got was a shocked, almost offended, look that immediately turned into an enraged glare.

"The ones about fucking cops, yeah." Nick spat, then he winced inside as he quickly realized the innuendo, and coupling that with the thoughts he was having in the shower earlier, he became quite embarrassed. He quickly shoved those thoughts out of his head and regained his former sense of defensive anger. The whole process happened in a fraction of a second with Judy only noticing a slight pause in his cadence. "But I am not a Flesh Freak. The only meat I've ever had is fish. I hate those bozos who think it's ok to eat prey!"

"Ok. Ok. Sorry." Judy apologized as they turned the corner to where the entrance to the warehouse was. Judy pressed her ears to the door, listening for anymammal that might be inside. When she heard nothing she tried to open the door. The obstacle refused to budge on account of the lock being fastened. Judy turned to Nick only to have him push her aside and tell her to keep watch. Nick produced a pick from his pocket and, after about two minutes, opened the door and peered in. The front room of the building was dark and musty. He tapped Judy on the shoulder; motioning her to follow as he entered the building.

"How did you get the door to open?" she asked as she surveyed the reception area.

"Just a little knowhow." Nick dodged as he opened the next door and spied out the hallway. "All clear." He whispered as he proceeded deeper into the hostile building.

"That doesn't answer my question." She said as she followed. They entered into the manager's area of the warehouse.

"To bad; it's the answer you're getting." Nick said as he opened the door to one of the offices.

"Did you pick that lock, Nick?" Judy accused.

"I plead the fifth." Nick joked. He had stumbled upon the jackpot. The office was ornately decorated with a large desk, sized for a mid-sized mammal, with gold lettering on the front that read, "P.P.P." Judy entered seconds later and was stunned by the assumed grandeur of the room. In the back corners of the room hung two flags, one the Zootopian flag and the other a green, blue, and orange tricolor with "P.P.P" across it in gold or yellow letters. On the side wall there was a poster of a fox in silhouette with the words, "I'll have my Prey and Eat it, too" across the bottom. The figure made something inside Judy want to run. She glanced to Nick who just snarled at the poster, and moved behind the desk. Judy followed him and they began ruffling through papers in the desk.

There wasn't much that Nick thought would be helpful; just receipts for various craft supplies and tools, newspaper clippings, a few recipes, a meeting schedule, and some repair invoices. "Wait a minute." Nick thought as he went back through some of the papers. He came back to the meeting schedule. There was a list of names, along with the times and meeting places for the gathering for the next month. "Judes, look at this." He said his attention still fully on the sheet of paper in his paws.

Judy looked over at him in confusion. 'Judes?' she thought. 'Only my family calls me Judes, and even then it's only Dad and few others.' "What?" she asked, seeing if he would catch what he had said.

"I said get over here. You might wanna see this." He replied, holding up the schedule.

"Ok." She sighed. He hadn't even thought about what he had said. 'Maybe he just wasn't thinking and called me that off handedly?' she wondered. 'Or maybe you're thinking about it too much. He called you Judes, so what? That doesn't mean anything…does it?' She cut off her inner monologue so she could focus on what she was being shown. "What is it, Nick?" she asked.

"It looks like a meeting schedule for the group. On the back there's a list of names and phone numbers." Nick flipped the paper around to show his partner, who was very close to him. When he noticed her proximity, he felt his heart rate go up and his mouth start to dry out. He scooted away from the distracting rabbit and continued, "There also seems to be a coding for what the meetings are about. Some are highlighted in red, others in green, but most are just left alone."

"When's the closest meeting?" Judy asked scooting closer to Nick to see better, much to the fox's chagrin.

"Well uh let me see." He stumbled. "Today." He announced. "It's a red highlighted one."

"When does it start?"

"Um…seven-thirty. So in…" Nick checked his phone. "Roughly thirty minutes."

"How far away is it?"

"Is what?"

"The meeting!"

"Oh right. It's at the Billy Rham Civic Center at the corner of 53rd and 3rd."

Judy typed the location into her phone's GPS. "That's only twenty minutes away!" she exclaimed excitedly. She then bolted to the door saying, "Hurry up or else we'll be late!" Nick sighed and followed, knowing it was already too late to try and argue. By the time Nick got out to the car Judy was tapping her foot very impatiently. "Come on! Let's go!" she pushed.

"You do realize you want to go to a potentially dangerous meeting of mammals that want me dead without back up, right?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." She shrugged, "And I won't be without back up, I'll have you."

Nick was surprised by the statement his partner had just made. It wasn't the statement itself that surprised him; it was its gravity, its meaning. That statement meant that she trusted her life to him. He still had a hard time trusting her intentions. He now had a choice: would he protect her and keep her trust, or betray her trust and leave her when she needed him. He blinked the thought out of his head. 'We'll cross that bridge when we get there.' He thought. "Alright, fluff. If you're dead set for this: get in." He unlocked the car door and the eager rabbit jumped in. Nick let out a heavy, worried sigh as he walked to his side of the vehicle and got in.

The drive was short and uneventful. Nick parked on the side of the road a block away from the civic center, and let Judy out. He told her it would keep the others from linking her to him if he was caught. As Judy walked up to the center she took stock of the area. There were many dark alleys around the semi-illuminated yard around the building. She walked through the gate to the old brick building that had definitely seen better days. There was ivy and moss growing on the walls and the brick was more a dark brown than the bright red it had once been. There were large double doors with smaller doors in them to accommodate smaller mammals. Judy entered the building and followed the clatter to the meeting room.

Nick parked his car on the opposite side of the street from the center and watched Judy enter the building. He also took stock of the area. 'Ok. Six alleys. I would only trust three though. Empty house on the other side of the yard. Two easily accessible sewer entrances visible from here. There are plenty of escape routes.' He thought, using all of the skills he had gained in Mr. Big's employ. He then got out of his car, leaving the doors unlocked, and skirted the center's yard. 'Two side entrances, one rear, and one main.' He noted mentally. Once he had a decent map of the area he entered the building after Judy.

Judy had just turned the corner towards the meeting hall when she heard the main door open. She looked back down the corridor to see Nick. He had a black hoodie pulled over his head, and his tail was tucked into his jeans. He flashed a thumbs-up, and ducked his head so no one could see his face. She turned back around towards the meeting and walked right up to the room. She felt better knowing that Nick was right behind her. The room was sparse, just a podium at the front with about forty or fifty chairs spread in front of it. At the podium stood a middle aged deer buck. In the crowd, if it could be called that, were about ten mammals of various species, all prey. The buck left the podium and walked up to greet her. Judy was nervous; she could feel everymammal's eyes on her.

"Hello." The buck said sternly, but not unkindly.

"Uh, hi." Judy replied.

"Do you need help finding something?" the buck asked.

"I was just looking for the P.P.P. meeting?" Judy answered timidly. "I was told there was a meeting here tonight."

"Well you're in the right place." The buck said slowly. "But this is a member's only meeting." Judy had to think quickly.

"Oh I am a member." She blurted without really thinking. The buck gave her a doubting look. "I just moved over here from Downtown. I just couldn't afford living there anymore."

"How did you know we would be meeting here?" the buck questioned.

"Well…" Judy was stuck there.

"Hey, Dave. Didn't Ralph and Mary just move Downtown?" a pig asked.

"Yeah, Mud, I think they did." Dave replied.

"Oh yes, Ralph!" Judy said. "When he heard that I was moving out here he let me know where the meetings usually were." Dave gave her a look and she just prayed to whoever was listening that he bought the lie.

Dave huffed and said, "Alright, Miss Bunny. Take a seat." Judy thanked everything under the sun and took a seat. Dave walked back to the podium and cleared his throat. "Alright, this meeting of the Prey Protection Phorce is now open. Before we get into any business, new or old, I would like to get to know our new member here." Here he motioned to Judy, whose blood was now running cold. "Miss, if you would be so kind as to share your name and why you joined you would do us a great honor." Dave smiled.

"My, uh, my name? It's uh it's…" she was searching her brain for a name; she knew if she gave her real name that they would recognize her, "my name is Wilde." She finally managed, "Judith Wilde." She liked the sound of her chosen moniker, and was equally shocked by it.

"Thank Miss Wilde, or is it Missus?" Dave asked.

"What? No, no. Just Miss." Judy answered somewhat embarrassed.

"And what lead you to join the P.P.P. Miss Wilde?"

"Well it happened when I was a kit. Me and some of my friends were at the fair that came through town every year and this bully, a fox, tried to steal my friend's tickets. I tried to stand up to him but…" here she turned her head and brushed the fur on her cheek up to expose the scars that the bully's claws had left. "I know I got off easier than some, but it just convinced me that predators are just that: predators. They might not eat us prey anymore, but they are still dangerous and we need to stand together to protect ourselves." The whole room nodded its approval of Judy's words.

"Exceptionally put, Miss Wilde. We must stand together against the predator menace. Preds must be brought to heel if we prey are ever to live in safety and peace of mind. And that is the one goal of the P.P.P.: to protect and serve all of preykind in the face of danger. And thus our motto."

Here the entire room stood and recited the group's motto, "No fang nor claw shall escape the arm of justice and law." Judy quietly mumbled her way through the words and hoped she didn't muck up the good faith she had won thus far.

Nick had been standing just outside the door to the meeting room. He was shocked when he heard Judy take his name for her own, and was more shocked by how much he liked that she had. He shook the silly thoughts out of his head and continued to eavesdrop. He heard Judy's story and wondered just how much of it was a lie. Then the leader, Dave, began his short speech. Nick slowly cracked the door to the room while the mammals quoted their motto. He didn't dare peek his head in see what was going on, far too risky, so he pulled a small mirror from his pocket and angled it so he could see in the door without being seen himself. He counted around ten mammals in the room, not counting Judy. As the buck at the stand went over budgets and plans for various small affairs, Nick saw something that disturbed him. There were three mammals that seemed out of place in the meeting, or they seemed to in place. They looked like caricatures of mammals that live by the docks. They were wearing blue jeans with suspenders, plaid shirts, and knit caps. They honestly wouldn't have stood out accept for one detail: they all wore the exact same blue knit cap and flannel shirt. "Fuck." Nick swore under his breath as he recognized what they were; they were undercover cops. 'Did we get ourselves involved in a fucking sting?' he worried. Just then there was a change in the speaker's voice.

"Now we reach the most important subject of the night: our operations."

'What the hell is he talking about?' Nick wondered.

"As you know, our chapter in the Nocturnal district ran a bold operation that had…mixed results."

'Oh you fuckers.'

"I am of course speaking of the shooting in the notorious O.M.F.U.G. bar three nights ago. There were almost ten dead predators in the attack," Dave said with a grin on his face, "but three P.P.P. members were also killed by the officer on site and a predator that was also present."

'Do they know who we are?' Nick and Judy both wondered uneasily.

"We are lucky enough to have secured the identities of these two enemies of our cause."

'Fuck.' thought Nick.

'Oh cheese and crackers.' fretted Judy.

"The do gooder pred is one Nickolas P. Wilde. Here is his picture. This is a mug shot from four years ago, but I am told it is still accurate." The buck held up a picture from his last arrest, it was a simple trespassing that only earned him a month in the pen.

'Well shit that's me.' Nick thought as the speaker moved on.

"And the officer needs no introduction. It was the hero of our city, one Miss Judy Hopps." Judy's blood ran cold. Nick saw the three cops look at each other and nod. Nick tensed his muscles, getting ready for a fight. "I would show a picture of Miss Hopps, but that won't be needed in the case that she is sitting here amongst us." Dave looked right to Judy, and she felt the eyes of the room turn towards her again. "Now normally we would welcome a member of the ZPD into one of our meetings. Right boys?" The three mammals in the blue caps nodded and moved next to Judy. There were two pigs and a ram. "But unfortunately you are an enemy of our organization, what with killing our mammals and stopping the Night Howler plot."

"That was you?!" Judy asked in disgust and shock.

"Why yes my bunny friend it was. Not me personally, but it was our organization led by Mayor Bellweather." Dave said proudly. "You see the Mayor set up the system and gave us a contact. When we had a pred we wanted gone, we simply called the contact and he would make sure they went savage. We were on the way to prey domination, but you ruined the whole thing." The buck paced slowly up to Judy, his tone remaining calm and collected. When she tried to say something she felt pressure in her side. She looked down and saw a pistol in the hands of the pig flanking her right.

'This is not good. I have to do something.' Nick thought.

"So, Miss Hopps. I'm afraid that, in light of recent events, we must remove you from the scene." Dave said menacingly.

"I'm not giving up on this. You will be brought to justice!" Judy said defiantly.

"No. You see, you can't arrest us if you're dead." The deer relished the look of terror that overtook Judy's violet eyes. "Good bye, Miss Hopps." Dave grinned evilly as the officers moved her to the back wall. Everymammal in the room faced away from the front door to watch the death of their enemy.

'Now's my chance.' Nick thought as he moved through the door silently. He pulled the bat out of his jacket as well as a small black canister. He removed the pin from the canister and held the lever. He quietly moved to the light switch. Just as the swine was about to pull the trigger, Nick cleared his throat. The entire group turned to him, and suddenly Nick was staring down three gun barrels. "Now, now fellas, let's not do anything hasty." Nick said with a smirk.

"Nickolas Wilde." Dave said with a proud, arrogant grin. "Good of you to join us."

"Wasn't it?" Nick quipped. "Now let my friend there go and nomammal has to get hurt."

"Mr. Wilde, I believe that you might be delusional." Dave cooed. "You seem to think that you have bargaining power here. You don't. Now come join your cute bunny friend."

"First, she doesn't like being called cute. And second, I have more bargaining power than you think." Nick said flatly.

"If you wish to die in ignorance, my friend, then so be it." Dave said with a tone of finality.

"Alright hard way it is." Nick said as he turned off the lights.

BANG. BANG. BANG. The officers shot at where Nick had been, but since Nick was the only mammal in the room with night vision they missed. Nick the dropped the canister that he had been holding and it began to hiss as smoke filled the room. Nick ran towards Judy, and on the way delivered a sturdy whack to Dave's knees, CRACK, breaking both. Nick barely heeded the buck's wail as he took Judy's hand and began to lead, or drag, her out of the room. The lights flipped back on, though the room was filled with a grey smoke. 'Shit. I hoped they would take longer to find the switch.' Nick thought as he dragged Judy across the room. BANG. BANG. The officers began to fire at where they thought Nick and Judy were. BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Ow!"

"Judy!"

Judy had been grazed by one of the shots, but it was a deep enough cut that it made standing difficult. Nick scooped her up in his arms and dashed out of the room with bullets chasing after him. He exited the building via the back door and raced towards one of the alleys he had mapped out before. Only the ram and one of the pigs were following. He bolted down the alley and disappeared into the darkness.

When the pursuers reached the alley, they had lost sight of their mark. They searched the alley for a short time. Then they heard a noise at the far end of the alley and chased after it.

Nick had thrown a pebble from where he had hidden himself and Judy. They were curled up in a box near the center of the alley. Nick pulled out a bandana and tried to wrap Judy's leg.

"I'm sorry, Nick." Judy said quietly, her ears tucked back sadly.

"What for?" Nick asked.

"For almost getting you killed." Judy said, tears coming to her eyes. "I should have listened to you." She began to weep quietly.

'Oh, bunnies.' Nick thought. "Don't be sorry. We nearly got killed, but now we know that the ZPD has moles in it. And we also have a lead with the whole Night Howler thing. And besides, things can only get better now, right?" At that moment a deafening crack of thunder boomed across the sky, and the heavens unleashed an absolute down pour. "Welp. Spoke to soon." Nick said, thanking the fates that the box they were in was laminated, and should stand up to the rain.

"Nick." Judy said in a hushed, dazed tone.

"Yes?" Nick looked down at her.

"Thank you for saving my life." She said as a weak smile crept across her lips.

"No pro-" Nick was cut off by those very same lips being pressed to his. It was just a quick, simple kiss, but it left him breathless.

"I knew I could trust you." She said as she fell asleep.

Nick's mind was completely empty and overcrowded, simultaneously. He was totally shell shocked by what the bunny in his arms had just done, and had a hard time admitting that it had even happened. 'The stress.' Nick thought. 'It was the stress of what happened in the room and the trauma of being shot, that's all.' He reasoned. Then he looked back down at the bunny sleeping peacefully in his arms. She snuggled against him, and he couldn't help but smile. "Good night, Judy." he whispered as he wrapped his faux-leather jacket around the both of them. As he dozed he thought about what Judy had said right before they had left the warehouse. 'Guess I made my choice.' He thought. 'Was it the right one?' then he felt the rabbit next to his body snuggle closer to him. 'Yes. Yes I did.' And with that he let out a contented sigh and joined his bunny in the realm of dreams.

* * *

 _Credit for the chapter title is Rancid. This will be the last update of the year. So thanks for sticking with me and see you all in the 2017! Here's to a great new year! *Raises beer* See y'all soon. *Downs beer*_


	14. Chapter 14

_Happy 2017, folks! Hope y'all had a good New Year's week. I know this is a shorter chapter, but this is a bit of a breather between the last chapter and the next. I hope you guys (and gals) are enjoying reading this as I much as I enjoy writing it. Thank you for commenting and following! Almost to 100 follows! I honestly can't believe that many people like my writing so much that they actually want to get buzzed when I update. So thank you so much for a great 2016, and here's to an even better 2017!_

* * *

 **Chapter 14: …To Be A Ghost**

"WHAT?!" the angry hog screamed in anger.

The timid deer that sat opposite of the swine responded, "They got away."

"How in the HELL did they get away?" the pig asked again. He glared flaming daggers across his desk in the well-furnished, yet dim, room.

"The fox was…craftier than anticipated." The deer replied, eyes downcast.

The pig pinched the bridge of his formidable snout in frustration. "You mean to tell me that you underestimated the foxiness of a fucking fox?" the oinker asked. The deer remained silent. "Tell me, David. Just how fucking stupid are you that you were able to fail so stupendously?"

Here the deer looked up with an aura of anger. "I did not fail, Hamilton." The antlered mammal said low, "It was your officers, your men, who fucked this up. My legs are both broken due to their ineptitude. Don't blame me for a failed mission, when it was you who provided subpar forces."

At this point Hamilton was so hot under the collar that one could almost smell bacon. "How dare you accuse me?!" the ham bellowed. "The officers I have under me are the best! And it would serve you well, sir, to remember that I am the highest ranking member of the P.P.P. since Bellweather was locked up."

"Yes, sir." The deer hissed. There was a tense silence that fell over the small office that sat in the Zootopia Civic Center that was located near Savana Park in Downtown Zootopia. The only sounds that could be heard were those of the cars driving past the building. "So," David broke the silence, "what is you plan now, oh leader?"

"First, you address me with the respect I deserve." Hamilton stated pointedly, "Secondly, we put out a hit on those two." Here David's eyes opened slightly in surprise. "Let it be known throughout all of the chapters that if any soldier of The Cause brings either of those two down it will mean a five-hundred mark reward and twelve-hundred marks for both at the same time."

"Do you believe it to be wise to attack so openly? I mean the open hit on that bar the other night was a disaster." David cautioned.

"You mean the op that Thompsons ran? We both know that gazelle is a worthless leader. A damned lemming has more brains than he does."

"Very true." David nodded. "But still, such a large push might raise some flags. Especially with Big wanting our heads."

The pig chuckled at the mention of the mobster. "That shrew doesn't know what he's up against. Besides, he doesn't want all of us, just the ones that shot up his place. He'll track Thompsons down in a few weeks, maybe a month or so. Then he will have gotten his revenge and be out of our fur."

"And how will you cover up the deaths of a high-profile pred and the ZPD's mascot bunny?"

"Who said that there was ever going to be anything to cover up?" the swine asked with a maniacal grin. "If there are no bodies, there is no cover up."

"That 'no bodies' thing might be hard to pull off if every soldier in the city is hunting for these two." David pointed out. "Not all of our operatives are so careful as that; Thompsons comes to mind."

"For once you may be right, David." The pig sat in thought for a short time. "Release the announcement only to chapter leaders, minus Thompsons, and tell them to assign only their top mammals to the operation."

David wrote all of the information down. "Will that be all?" the deer asked.

"That is all, lieutenant. Dismissed." With that, David turned his wheel chair around and left the pig to himself.

Alexander Hamilton leaned back in his chair and stared out his frosted window at the yellowish haze of Zootopia. He loved his city. That was why he had become a cop so many years ago, to protect his sacred city. At the time he thought the threat to Zootopia was not predators, but the small street gangs that ruled many parts of the great city. It seemed that every section of Zootopia had at least three gangs to worry about. When he first became a beat cop, he was assigned to the 120th precinct in the Canal District. At the time the area he ran was under the control of the 53rd street Antlers, an all prey gang that consisted mostly of deer, gazelle, antelope, and the like. Their rivals were the Dockside Pride, an all pred gang lead mainly by lions, tigers, and other large cats. Most of his calls were to brawls between the two gangs. They were bitter enemies, but there was never an all-out war between them. That changed in '77 with the riot. It had been a gang hit, but on that was understandable from his point of view.

A couple of spooks from the Pride were skulking around Antler turf, when some Antlers confronted them a fight broke out. The cats sent three of the Antlers to the hospital, one of them being the Antlers' leader's younger brother. Three days later the two Pride members were shot at their job by the leader of the Antlers. This would have started a gang war immediately if not for the protests that took place. It just so happened that the judge presiding the case was the shooter's uncle and gave him a reduced sentence. When that happened all hell broke loose. The riots began. This was when Hamilton saw the true enemy of the city. It wasn't prey who had provoked the shooting, it wasn't prey who were destroying his section of the city, and it wasn't prey that killed thirty-three mammals over the next two months of gang violence. No. It was predators. Preds had crossed the line with the Antlers, Preds had reduced his beat to a pile of burning rubble, and Preds attacked those thirty-three prey in revenge. That was when he knew that being an officer wasn't enough that was when he joined the P.P.P. They saw the same truth he did; they fought the true enemy of the city. Even though he remained an officer of Zootopia, his true calling was to be a soldier for The Cause.

* * *

 _Chapter title credited to Jeff Rosenstock._


	15. Chapter 15

_Well hello everyone and a happy belated Valentine's! Or for those of us who are single: happy belated Tuesday! This chapter took way longer to write than I anticipated. It sorta took on a life of it's own. It is by far the longest chapter to date. Thank you all for reading, commenting, and following! Have fun with this one and enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Day In, Day Out**

Nick awoke to the usual smell of mildew, garbage, and smog. He had spent many nights sleeping in alleys as a kit. He had run away from the foster homes multiple times in his younger years, so the situation he found himself in wasn't too jarring; except for one detail. Against his chest he felt a warm pressure. He glanced down to see a very cute grey bunny nestled against him. This triggered a panicked replay of the previous night's events. After a few runs through the mental movie sequence he convinced himself that it had actually happened.

He felt the bundle of fur on his chest shift, and he looked down again. Her fur was a damp and tangled mess, her clothes were completely ragged, and she looked like she had just spent a night in a dumpster. 'Which she basically did.' Nick reasoned. Despite all that; however, her face was at ease, her nose twitched slowly, and her ears laid down against her back; she seemed completely at ease. Even with her looking like a street urchin, she was still one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. What light there was danced on her fur, the feeling of her body against his made his stomach somersault, and the delicate curve of her lips…'Her lips.' Nick licked his own, remembering the most unbelievable thing that had occurred that previous night. 'She kissed me.' He thought. He could still taste her on his lips; whether the taste was really there or it was just the memory of it didn't matter. What mattered was that it was the most intoxicating flavor he had ever had grace his mouth. It was sweet and metallic. He needed more of that taste, but knew that he would most likely never have it again. 'She's a bunny, numbnut.' Nick's more logical side scolded him. 'And what are you?'

'A fox?' Nick's emotional side answered.

'That's right. A fox.' The logical side said. 'And what do bunnies fear most?'

'Foxe-?'

'Foxes. So do you really think you have a snowball's chance in hell with her?'

'She's different than them!'

"Like. Fucking. Hell. All she wants is to solve this case. Once she does that, she'll be off to the glistening city again; leaving you and your shitty world forever.'

'No she won't!' his emotions protested.

'Oh that's right.' His logic stated in a condescending tone. 'You might see her again when you get arrested again. Because with Joey gone the band is fucked, and you sure as hell aren't going to be a fry cook for the rest of your miserable life.'

'Shut up.' His emotions said, feeling defeated.

'So what will you do?' his logic persisted.

'Shut. Up.'

'You'll go back to work for Big. It's all you can do. There's nothing better than that for a fox. You'll end up iced, in jail, or gunned down by Ghosts. There won't be anyone to cry for you. So just accept your fate.'

"SHUT UP!" Nick yelled, startling a no longer sleeping bunny.

"Nick!" she said worriedly, "Are you ok? Is everything alright?"

Nick looked down into her large amethyst eyes. They were filled with concern and genuine care, and what he hoped was something more. He just looked into her eyes and everything that had just transpired in his head evaporated. He put on a grin and answered, "I'm fine, Judy. Just a bad dream."

The fact that he used her real name gave her pause, but she didn't dwell on it. "Ok." She replied with a nod and a skeptical look.

There was a tense silence between them; a silence that Nick felt needed to end. "How's your leg?" he asked with a weak grin. Judy's brow furrowed.

"What do you-oh." She said as she tried to remember what happened last night, and then suddenly remembered the incident in the civic center. She shifted her leg, eliciting a pained grunt from the fox, she thought it was from the cramped space and continued to test her leg. "It still hurts, but I can move it." She said.

"You can walk then?" Nick asked through clenched teeth. He felt the space getting smaller as she continued to move her leg against him.

"Some yes."

"Ok. Good. Let's get outta this shithole and back home."

They climbed out of the box, and started back towards Nick's car. Judy refused to let Nick carry her, so he found a stick and made her use it as a crutch. She walked ahead of the fox as he watched her with a grim grin. 'I won't lose her.' He told his logical side. 'She's my mate, whether we actually become mates or not.' He touched his lips. 'I may never feel her lips again, I may never hold her closer than I did last night, I may never win her love.' He let out a sad sigh. 'But I will never lose her.' With that period in his mental conversation he followed the limping bunny with a sense of purpose.

By the time Nick pulled into his normal alleyway parking spot it was a quarter past ten in the morning, it had taken almost two hours to drive home. Nick was exhausted; he was not used to being up before ten-thirty at the earliest. He sluggishly lifted his tired paws up the stairs that seemed larger than normal. Quietly he opened his apartment door; because he knew that his roommates were probably still asleep. He was surprised to see them both awake and in the living room chatting.

"What in the hell are you guys doing up at this hour?" the sleepy fox asked.

The two wolves turned to him with sullen faces. "We were woken up by Mom and Dad." Spike said. Nick's shoulders dropped.

"Did they just find out?" Nick asked in a soft tone. His answer was his two friends nodding. "Are they coming over?" Again two nods. "Fuck. Well I guess I should clean up. Got a time?"

"Noonish." Spike called down the hall. "Fins gonna be here, too."

"Why wouldn't he?" Nick said over the sound of the water.

Nick finished his shower and got dressed in a pair of shorts and a white wife-beater. He and his friends sat on the couch with beers, Nick also had a bowl of Pred-O's® with blueberries. They sat in silence until Tommy spoke up.

"Hey, Nick." Tom said.

"Hm?" Nick grunted.

"Donny called last night."

"Yeah?" Nick responded. "Hwhat did 'e want?" Nick said with his mouth full.

"Said you were scheduled for tonight."

"Fuck. Alright. What time?" Nick asked disappointedly.

"Six to close." Was the reply.

"Alright. Not too bad then." Nick nodded while taking a sip of his beer. "I think I still have a uniform clean from last week. If not I'll wear a dirty one. They won't care."

"How's your arm feeling?" Spike asked, pointing to Nick's right shoulder. "It's only been, what, four days?"

"About." Nick nodded. "Maybe five. It's been a whirlwind of a week."

"Amen!" Tommy agreed from behind his bottle.

"So how's the arm?" Spike pushed.

"Sore." Nick replied thoughtfully. "Not too bad. Modern medicine is ridiculous. They used this weird string made out of this shit called chitin, right? It's stronger than normal stitches and I don't have to go back to get 'em out. Doc said they'll just disintegrate after like a month. The reason I was in the O.R. so long was because the bullet shattered in my shoulder, so they had to do a lot of fishing, plus stop my bleeding."

"Wow." Tom and Spike said in unison.

"Yeah. Some freaky cool shit." Nick nodded.

"You sure do remember a lot." Spike said with a hint of accusing skepticism.

"The only thing I had to do in that damn room was read my own charts." Nick shrugged.

"What about the T.V.?" Tom asked.

"A Deadliest Fetch marathon? I'd rather be shot again." Nick grumbled.

Nick finished his food and while he was putting his bowl away the buzzer rang.

"There's the folks." Tommy sighed as he walked to the door and opened it.

On the other side were two chestnut colored otters wearing grins that did not reach they're eyes.

"Hey, Mom. Dad." Tommy said with a grin that matched the otter's.

"Hello, Thomas." The female said.

"Hi, Tommy." Said the male.

"Where's Spencer?" The female asked.

"Here, Ma." Spike said as he emerged from the hall. The small otters gave the two wolves warm hugs.

"Where is Nicky?" The male otter asked.

"I'm over here. I was just washing out a bowl." The fox rounded the corner around the large sofa. He gave them both affectionate hugs. "How are you doing Emmitt?"

"Oh me and Martha are doing just fine." Emmitt said, as he and his wife sat on the couch.

"We've actually been more worried about you." Martha said, looking to the three canines, who had also taken their seats. "When we heard the news about what happened yesterday, we were heartbroken."

"Yeah, we had been out of town with the kids when it all happened." Emmitt explained. "We called as soon as we got a chance."

"When did you call?" Nick asked.

"When we got home at midnight last night." Marth answered.

"You two have been up since midnight?" Nick asked his friends. They just nodded.

"Pebbles and oysters, boys! Why didn't you sleep?" Emmitt asked.

"We couldn't." Spike answered. "We've been afraid of this talk for a while now."

"Why?" inquired Emmitt.

"Because we don't want to face the reality that Joey is…that Joey's gone." Spike struggled to say, his eyes downcast.

"Oh, honey…" Martha cooed as she pulled the much larger wolf into a hug. Spike melted into the soothing embrace and let a few tears roll down his fur.

"I never knew you were so mushy, Spike." A deep voice said from the doorway.

"Good to see you, too, Fin." Spike said as he wiped his eyes.

"Hello, Finnic." Emmitt greeted the diminutive fox.

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. O." Fin smiled back. "I brought the necessary tools need for this conversation." He put a twelve pack of beer on the coffee table, along with a bottle of gin and a bottle of oyster juice. "Shall we begin?"

For the next four hours they drank and reminisced about their absent friend and son. The four canines told stories about how they had all met under the watchful eye of the Ottertons, and the shenanigans that ensued. All four remembered it being the best foster home they had had. The Ottertons shared what it had been like raising the rowdy foster pups while raising two of their own. The group laughed and cried and simply took solace in each other's company, and by the time the Ottertons and Finnic had to leave they had worked through a lot of their grief and laid down some basic plans for the sendoff of their fallen friend.

Nick closed the door behind his adopted family emotionally exhausted, but with lightness in his chest. Throughout the talk he had felt the stone slab that had been placed on his heart crumble. He felt free, to a point. There was still a wolf shaped piece missing from his life that would never be replaced, but now he felt that he could at least function. He had been covering the pain with beer bottles. It was the only way he had been able to function while helping Judy; well the main way. There was also this unexplainable peace that surrounded him when he was with Judy. He couldn't put his claw on it, because he still felt scared or angry or sad or awkward or whatever with her, but there was this under current that just seemed to make everything alright. That no matter what happened, as long as she was there, it was ok. He thought about it all while he fiddled with his guitar. He sat there for what seemed like an eternity, yet it also felt like a second hadn't even passed, when Tommy broke him from his mental stupor.

"Nick! You better get ready for work! It's five-forty!" the wolf said in a worried tone.

"What?!" Nick responded. He glanced to his clock as it switched to five-forty-one. "Motherfucker!" He yelled at the clock as he ditched his instrument and frantically got dressed. As he prepared he cursed himself for losing track of time thinking about Judy, then he cursed that damned rabbit that had gotten under his skin, then he cursed whatever cruel master that ordained that he would imprint on a bunny, finally he cursed time itself for moving faster than normal just to screw him over.

In any case he was ready in under five minutes. He stood there in black jeans, a green hat, and a black shirt that read "Bug-Burga" in large green letters. He detested the uniform, but the job wasn't too bad. He grabbed his skateboard and left the apartment. The store was just down the block and around the corner so it only took him about five minutes to get there.

He walked in the door and was slapped in the muzzle by the smell of grease and cooked cicada. There were just a few mammals in the establishment, all predators. Nick sighed in resignation and walked back through the kitchen to put his thing away before clocking in.

"Hey, buttmunch!" called a slightly gravelly, baritone voice called from behind him. Nick instinctively smiled as he turned to see a mostly pepper, with a sprinkle of salt, colored donkey walking up to him.

"What you want, jack-ass?" Nick replied playfully.

"I need you to clock in now. Poor Tyler has been on the make table all day." The donkey motioned to a tired looking bulldog.

"No prob, Don." Nick said. "Just gimme a sec to clock in."

Nick clocked in and everything went like normal for most of the night. There was the usual rush around nine then everything died out. Everyone had gone home aside from Nick, Donny, and a leopard called Brad. They were taking care of the basic pre-close chores. Donny was in the office doing the day's paperwork, Brad was taking care of prep for the next day, and Nick was cleaning the dining room and watching out for any late night munchers.

At about eleven-fifty a pair of Zebras walked in. It wasn't normal to see prey in the restaurant, but it wasn't totally uncommon either. Bug-Burga was cheap, quick, and, according to Donny, made a pretty good salad. Nick took their orders and payments. The two were giving him a strange look, but he decided to ignore it. As he went back to make the food, he saw one of the equus make a call. After a few words on the phone he nodded to the other who wore a maniacal grin as he produced a small knife and hid it in his hoofs.

'Fuck.' Nick thought as he realized what was about to go down. He walked back to Donny and informed him of the situation.

"What the fuck, Nick?" was the first response.

"What?" Nick asked defensively.

"How did you get a hit ordered on you?"

"I made an enemy of the Ghosts." Nick responded.

"Only you, Nick." The donkey shook his head. "What do you want me to do about this?"

"Give me some back up." Nick said. "And call the cops."

"I sure as hell ain't calling the cops." Donny said. "These are just two punks-no offence."

"None taken."

"We can handle them." Donny said as he walked past the fox. Nick followed his manager to the front of the store. "These their's?" Donny asked in a hushed tone, pointing at the salads. Nick nodded. "Ok. Just stay back." Donny walked to the counter and set the food down. "Here you go, Gents. Anything you guys will be needing?"

"Yeah." The first zebra answered.

"And what will that be?" Donny asked in a jovial tone.

"The fox." The second said as he produced his knife.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that."

"And why not?" the first inquired as the second raised his knife.

"He is my employee and friend. I refuse to let you two have him." The donkey said with a grim intonation. He was deathly serious and that unnerved Nick.

"You won't have to 'let' us." The first smirked.

"'Cause we're taking him whether you like it or not." The second said just as he lunged with his blade.

Donny deflected the attack and countered with a jab to the zebra's snout. This made the attacker recoil as his comrade came to his aid. He jumped on top of the donkey and tackled him to the tile floor. Nick grabbed the broom that was next to him and joined the tussle. The next ten minutes were filled with hooves flying, fangs biting, and the destruction of a perfectly good broom. After the dust settled the zebras were gone and both Nick and Donny had a few new bumps and bruises.

As the two combatants were catching their breath, Brad walked to the front of the store. "Ok. I'm done with prep. Can I…go?" Brad stopped where he stood and surveyed the mess of thrown chairs, splintered broom, and his coworkers sitting on a table panting. "Geez, what happened?" he asked as he pulled an ear bud out.

"Fuck off, Brad." Donny said.

They didn't get out of the store until two in the morning. Nick dragged his paws as he walked back to his apartment. He climbed the stairs and nearly fell through the door. He slugged his way to his room and collapsed on the bed. It had been a long day. He pulled the flyer out of his pocket that one of the zebras had dropped in their fight. 'A bounty. We have a fucking bounty on our heads.' Nick mused. 'Fucking Donny making me stay to clean up. I hope carrots is ok.' His eyes shot open at that thought. "Judy!" he said to himself worriedly. "I have to tell her about this!" He picked up his phone and as he was about to dial, a frantic knock came at the door. Nick got up and stumbled to the door. When he opened it he saw a very distraught bunny.

Fifteen Hours Earlier:

Judy stepped out of Nick's car that was stopped in front of her apartment building.

"Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor about that, Carrots?" Nick asked looking to her injured leg.

"I'll be fine, Nick." She reassured. "I have a friend that is a nurse. She can take care of it. We don't know who we can trust; if there are police on the other team, who knows who else might be." Nick nodded in understanding. "We best take a break." Judy said after a pause. "Let's not do anything tonight."

"That's a good idea." Nick agreed. "There are somethings that I need to take care of."

"See you tomorrow?" Judy asked tentatively, scratching the fur behind her ear.

"Hm?" The question took the fox by surprise. "Uh yeah. I'll uh if not I'll be sure to call or text or something."

"Ok then. Have a good day. And be safe." Judy smiled and waved good bye as she turned to hobble to her home, leaving a stunned but happy fox waving back.

Judy used the elevator for the first time in her residence at the Grand Pangolin Arms. She quickly realized why she had never used the infernal moving cage. The elevator shook and rattled as if there was an earthquake, the light flickered as if it were a horror movie, and the entire contraption sounded as if it were being ripped apart every time it stopped at a floor. All in all it made for a flighty bunny when it stopped on her floor. She bolted out of the metal box before the doors could trap her once again in the hell that was the elevator. She hobbled down the hall to her room. She unlocked the door and stepped into the small, but comforting room. It had been a quite a change for her when she first moved in from Bunnyburrow just about a year ago, but now it felt just like home.

She unpacked her pockets and laid the items on the small table she had, and then fell back on her bed. She didn't know how long she laid there just letting the stress of the previous night ebb away. She replayed all of the different scenarios of what could have happened over and over. Every one of them ended in both Nick and her dead. She thanked all that was good and holy that they both had survived and were able to ride out the storm in that box. Her mind then switched to the events that happened in side of the box. She remembered the feeling of Nick holding her against his chest as he tried to get the two of them as small as possible. His breath was low and ragged, he was fighting to stay calm. She could feel his quickened heart rate and the worry that poured from his very being. She recalled how her leg throbbed when he wrapped it with his bandana, a bandana that was still there. She tried to remember what had happened just before she fell asleep. 'I started to cry.' She replayed the moments. 'He tried to comfort me. It started raining. I thanked him then I…' Here she shot up on her bed in shock. "I kissed him!" she whispered to herself. "I kissed him." She repeated in disbelief, running her paw across her lips. She just sat there on her bed frozen by the discovery that she had kissed a predator, and not just any predator: a fox.

Her brain was incapable of coherent thought for a solid ten minutes, then her phone rang. She limped over to her table to answer, but her phone wasn't what was ringing. Her vision switched to the special phone Bogo had given her. She picked it up and answered.

"Officer Hopps." She answered in her normal way. The title 'Officer' before her name still filled her with just as much joy as it had her first day.

"Hopps. Report." Came the Chief's rough voice.

"Ah yessir!" Judy saluted on instinct. "Well Nick…I mean, Informant Wilde and I followed a lead that lead us to the Canal District late yesterday evening."

"Go on."

"We searched a warehouse that was believed to a P.P.P. safe house." Judy continued. "What we found was an office with some important papers. We took photos of said papers and returned them to their original place."

"Good. Do you have any names or other locations?" Bogo asked.

"Yes and no, sir." Judy replied.

"Explain." Bogo said slowly.

"While we were combing the papers we discovered a list of meetings for that chapter. After further digging we found that there was a meeting occurring not far from our location. Against the wishes of the informant I elected to check it out. Unfortunately I was discovered."

"How?"

"It seems that we were wanted by their organization for killing the three deer in the O.M.F.U.M shooting." Judy said in a melancholy tone as she remembered some of the images from that night, but she quickly banished them from her thoughts.

"So they are targeting you and Wilde?" Bogo asked to confirm.

"Yes." Judy affirmed. "Also 'they' include some of us."

"What does that mean?" Bogo inquired.

"I mean that there were three ZPD officers at that meeting." Judy stated in a flat tone. "If not for Nick, I would be dead by their hooves."

Bogo was outraged. He slammed his fist on the table. A half a second later Clawhowser burst through the door panting. "Are you *huffhuff* alright, sir?" the obese cheetah asked.

"Fine, Clawhowser. Now out." Was the Chief's stern answer.

"Ok. Good." Clawhowser replied, still out of breath. "I'll just-over to the-I need to work on my cardio." And the round cat left the room.

"Who are they?" Bogo said into the phone, venom dripping from his lips.

"I don't know, sir." Was Judy's honest reply. "All I know is that they were two pigs and a ram. Other than that I don't have any more reliable information on them."

Bogo let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Any other news?"

"Nick and I will not be doing anything today. After last night we decided that the best option was to lay low for a little."

"Good idea, Hopps." The Chief complied. "Be safe."

And with that Bogo ended the call.

Judy sighed and set the special phone down. She rubbed her eyes clear of the drowsiness that had suddenly set upon her. She glanced to her clock in an attempt to get her bearings on the crazy day. The small grey rectangle flashed in red numbers: 2:06.

'Sweet cheese and cracks, its two o'clock already?' Judy thought. She had lost track of time while she had been lying on her bed. 'I need to go see Paula.' Judy told herself as she hopped off her bed. She suddenly realized that hopping was a bad idea as a burning shot of pain went up her leg. She stumbled against her bed as she rode out the waves of pain that flowed through her. As they died down, the injured bunny hobbled to her door and out into the hall way.

When she exited the relative safety of her box like apartment she saw her loud, antlered neighbors. She braced herself for the inevitable and forged ahead.

"Hey! It's our favorite bunny cop neighbor!" said Pronk in a happy, yet loud, voice.

"You look terrible, Cotton." Bucky pointed out.

"Don't be rude, Buck." Pronk rebuked his mate. "Policing is rough work." Bucky was about to fire back when Judy's voice cut him off in a meek tone.

"Hi guys." Judy waved with an uneasy smile on her face. "How have the two of you been?"

"Better than you, obviously." Bucky pointed out.

"Buck!" Pronk said in horror.

"What? It's true." The other shrugged.

"Yeah, but still, manners." Pronk said as he turned back to Judy. "We've been doing well. If I may ask: what happened to you?"

"Oh just normal police stuff." Judy shrugged, trying to get away from the situation as quickly as possible.

"Don't look to normal to me." Bucky said in a gruff tone.

"Well it was an abnormal situation," Judy said before Bucky's partner could jump on him. "But it wasn't all that out of the ordinary. I'm actually on my way to work now so if you don't mind I need to get going."

"Oh no problem." Pronk said. "Sorry for keeping you."

"No problem at all." Judy smiled as the stepped past the two. "Have a nice day!" And she slipped around the corner and hobbled to the staircase. She could hear the two argue about how one had been rude and the other was being a tight-ass or some nonsense. They weren't bad mammals just severely vexing at times.

Judy stumbled down the three flights of stairs to the floor where her friend Paula lived. Judy had met Paula three months after the Night Howler case. There had been a pile up on the main highway that ran through Zootopia. Judy was one of the first responders as well as Paula. They worked well together, and were called to the same place a few other times. After the fifth time they crossed paths in the line of duty Paula asked Judy if she wanted to hang out after work. Judy hadn't made many, or any, friends in the city, other than Clawhowser, so she agreed. They went to the mall, where they found out that both had grown up in the country, both had come from big families, and both lived in the Grand Pangolin Arms. They often went out for lunch to talk and relieve the stress of their respective jobs. Judy knocked on her friend's door, and she was soon greeted by a porcupine that was about as tall as herself.

"Oh hi, Judy!" Paula said in a pleasant tone. Then her eyes opened wide when she saw the state that rabbit was in. "Needles and pricks, Judy! What did you do?"

"Well it's a long story…" Judy replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well get your fuzzy butt in here. I'm gonna clean you up, and you're going to tell me that long story." The prickly nurse dragged Judy into her abode. "Sit there," Paula pointed to the bed. "Now tell me what happened." The porcupine slid a desk chair over in front of her patient and pulled out a substantial medical kit.

"It was just some work stuff." Judy said, trying to deflect her friend's inquiry.

"This is not just work stuff." Paula shot back as she took Nick's bandana off of Judy's leg. "If it was you would have just gone to the hospital. You alright?" she glanced up when Judy grunted in pain. She continued when the bunny nodded her head. "Like I was saying, this is on the level of work stuff, but it most certainly was not. So spill it."

Judy avoided looking down at the mess that was her leg. "Well it is work related."

"But?"

"But, it's not official."

"You undercover?" Paula took a moist towelette and cleaned off the area around the wound.

"Not exactly." Judy could feel the annoyed impatience rolling from the porcupine. "Did you hear about the shooting on Saturday?"

"Who didn't?" Paula said, looking up.

"Well I was a part of it."

"You were WHAT?" Paula was shocked. "And you're only telling me about this now?"

"Let me explain." Judy said, her paws out in the universal sign for 'calm down'. "I was assigned to investigate an organization that was believed to have ties to the shooters. There wasn't enough evidence to be able to justify a full investigation."

"Wait." Paula interrupted. "Who was implementing this organization?"

"Just about every survivor that would speak with us." Judy answered.

"Then how was there not enough evidence?" asked Paula, confused.

"Everymammal who gave statements were either drunk, high, or both. Also many had histories, nothing too severe from what I read, but it all made the evidence unreliable under police procedure." Judy shrugged, and then cringed as Paula poked at a particularly tender spot.

"I guess that hurt?"

"Mhm." Judy grunted.

"Sorry to tell you, Honbun, but you need stitches." Paula said as she leaned back in her chair.

"I can't go to the hospital." Judy said in a worried tone.

"Why?" came the parental reply that reminded Judy of her mother.

"Well, because of how I got this wound." Judy said.

"And how does that tale go?" Paula said, crossing her arms.

"Last night my partner, Nick, and I were investigating a lead on the organization Bogo put me on. We ended up walking into a meeting. I would be dead if not for Nick." When she said that she flashed back to Mr. Big's mansion and how Nick had risked his wellbeing for her; just so that she could be warm. Judy realized that the previous night hadn't been the first time he had risked his life for her wellbeing. "He got me out of there."

"And what about this makes it impossible for you to go to the hospital?" Paula pried.

"I was shot by a fellow officer, there were three there. They were part of the group." Judy said in a crushed voice. She still couldn't believe that her colleagues, her brothers, could betray her like that. "If they're in the force, then they could be anywhere, and they're looking for me." Judy looked to her friend with pleading eyes. "So please, Paula, I need you to take care of this here."

Paula huffed in resignation. "Alright, Hopps. I have a suture kit around here somewhere, but while I fix you up you tell me about this Nick." Judy's ears fell limp behind her, and the red tinge of a blush could just be seen through her grey fur. "I've never heard of him, and I hear of everyone you meet." The porcupine pulled a small pack out of her kit. "Get talking, I don't have any anesthetics so this will hurt; talking might keep your mind off of it."

Judy watched her friend thread the curved needle with some trepidation. She sighed and began. "Nick…well where should I start?"

"How about his species?" Paula offered.

"He's a fox." Judy said nonchalantly. The answer froze Paula.

"A fox?" the porcupine asked with a questioning glance.

"Yeah." Judy smiled unconsciously. "He plays guitar."

"Ooo. A musician." Paula mused as she sewed Judy's leg.

"Yeah." Judy giggled. "He's about a foot taller than me. He has deep red fur and the most beautiful green eyes you've ever seen." Judy's verbiage got Paula to raise her eyebrow, but she elected to remain quiet as a smirk grew on her face. "He's stubborn and rebellious. He absolutely hates authority and society in general really. But he's really caring and sweet under all that. He's smart and rough-edged. He's been hurt more than a few times, and that kinduv justifies his feelings towards society. I mean it doesn't make it right, but it makes it more understandable. He just plays by his rules."

"Doesn't sound like a very good cop." Paula pointed out as she finished up Judy's leg.

"Oh that's because he isn't a cop." Judy said. "He's a punk." This once again froze the spiny nurse.

"He's a punk?" Paula asked, as if for clarification.

"Yeah. Is that bad?" Judy asked.

"From what I've heard about them, yes." Paula nodded. "They hate cops, start riots, do all sorts of drugs, and call for the destruction of our government!"

"Not from what I've seen." Judy said coolly. "I mean yes they do drugs and drink, but they're normal mammals. The ones I've met are nice and polite. Many feel trapped from what I can tell."

"Trapped by what?"

"I don't know." Judy said as she thought about the question. "I guess they feel trapped by the push to conform. To act like everything is like the brochures when their lives are the exact opposite. They're angry and have no real outlet for it, so they channel it through their music and dancing, and on rare occasions the odd brawl I suppose." Judy reasoned from the stories she'd heard from Nick and Spike. "But I don't know for sure. All I know is that not all of them are the violent rioters that they seem to be."

"So how did you end up with him as a partner?" Paula said after a short pause.

"Well he was in the band that was playing in the bar during the shooting." Judy explained. "He actually took down two of the shooters before I really knew what was going on. He was injured in the fight. He was the first one to give me any information about the shooting, and when Bogo briefed me later that day I knew I needed help, and Nick was the only one I knew who had the information that could help. I tracked him down, and he agreed to help."

"Hm. That's really interesting." Paula said as she wrapped Judy's now stitched leg in gauze. "So you like him?" she said this with a devilish grin that Judy couldn't see.

"Yeah I do. He's a good mammal. He has his rough patches, but he really is quite selfless and caring." Judy said as she smiled.

"Yup." Paula said matter-of-factly, "You have a crush on him." Paula could feel the heat coming from Judy's blush; it was a heat that Paula basked in.

"I-I-I do not!" Judy stuttered, her ears at full attention.

"That reaction just confirms it, Honbun." Paula said.

"I do not have a crush on him." Judy said defiantly, but Paula was having none of it.

"I won't be arguing truth here, Judy." She stopped her. "Now here are some high strength pain killers. Only take them when you need them. Change your bandage once a day. A good time is when you shower. Speaking of, go wash up. It should take about two weeks for that to mend." Judy nodded and took the small packet of pills and roll of gauze. "I expect to hear more about this lovely fox next time." Judy just gave her friend a cold look.

"Thanks for fixing me up, Paula. See you later." Judy said as she left.

"I look forward to it. Bye." Paula waved with a big smile on her face.

Judy returned to her unit; it was now almost three in the afternoon. Judy gathered a change of clothes, her soaps, and a towel, and walked to the communal bathroom for the hall. Thankfully the rooms were split into male and female, instead of just being unisex. She set down her effects on the bench in the stall and locked the door. As she tuned the water to the perfect temperature, she thought about what Paula had said.

"A crush. I don't have a crush on Nick. An unusual attraction? Yeah, maybe. But nothing as serious as a crush." She stepped into the steaming curtain as she continued her musings. "I mean, yes, I did kiss him, but that…that was just the heat of the moment. I had a lot of adrenaline in my system. I had just experienced a traumatic event." She lightly dabbed her scrunchie on her sutures so as not to damage them. "Nick had just saved my life. And what girl wouldn't want to kiss a handsome male who had just saved their life, and who was holding them against their chest? There is no evidence of a quote-unquote "crush"." Judy put air quotes around the word "crush," and continued to wash herself and convince herself that she did not have a crush on a certain fox; no matter how often he invaded her dreams or made her heart flutter.

She finished her shower and emerged from the bathroom feeling more refreshed than she had in the last two days. She turned toward her apartment and was greeted with the sight of a portly cheetah standing in front of her door.

"Benji?" Judy said down the hall. The large feline turned in shock.

"Oh-Em-Goodness, Judy. You nearly gave me a heart attack." Ben said as he took a few deep breaths.

"Just calm down, Benji." Judy said as she laid her free paw on his arm comfortingly. "What brings you to my little hole in the wall?"

"Chief Bogo sent me." Was Clawhowser's surprisingly serious reply. This unnerved Judy slightly, Clawhowser was never this serious, and the Chief would never send him alone, or at all, unless it was absolutely necessary.

"What's going on?" Judy asked as she unlocked her door.

"Chief told me that we have some traitors in the ZPD." He said with wide eyes. "And that they're after you. So he sent me to look after you." Judy chuckled.

"I think the Chief is overreacting." Judy said as she put her dirty laundry away.

"Well he told me to watch out for you for at least the rest of the day." Clawhowser said in a sheepish, yet determined way.

"Ok." Judy sighed. She glanced to her clock. "It's just about five now. I have some laundry to do-"

"Oh I can help!" Clawhowser interrupted energetically.

"As I was saying…" Judy said slowly, "I have some laundry to do. That should take about an hour. After that we can go out or something, seeing how you won't really fit in my apartment."

"Ok. Sounds like a plan to me! I know this amazing place to eat on the lower west side of Downtown!" Ben said gleefully.

"Sounds great." Judy said as she rolled her eyes at the cat's obsession with eating.

By the time Judy finished her laundry it was six-thirty. Benji was dying of hunger, if he could be believed. So they walked down the stairs, an activity that left the cheetah winded, and out to where Benji had parked his unmarked cruiser. They drove for about another half an hour until Clawhowser stopped in front of a little diner whose sign read "Surf'N'Turf" in green neon. It was a small establishment that served both predator and prey. The meal was better than Judy had expected, so good that she made a mental note to come back. By the time they had both had their fill and gotten back to Judy's apartment it was just shy of midnight.

"Well I guess there wasn't really anything to worry about." Benji panted as he leaned against the wall next to Judy's door.

"I told you." Judy said as she unlocked her door. "I'm totally safe."

Just as she uttered the word 'safe', a bullet crashed through Judy's window and passed right between her ears. Clawhowser moved almost as fast as a bullet as he dragged Judy out of the room and out of the way of another round that embedded itself in the dry wall just under the first. He then pulled her towards the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Judy protested.

"Bogo said that if anything happened I was to get you away from the area as fast as possible." Clawhowser wheezed as he began to run down the stairs.

"So where are we going?" Judy asked.

"I don't know!" the cheetah said in a panic. "Somewhere that's not here!"

They burst from the apartment building and into Benji's car. What followed was thirty minutes of trying to lose the maniacs that were hunting them and another thirty of making sure they had lost them. When both the cheetah and rabbit were convinced that they had given their pursuers, they pulled into a gas station parking lot to gather their thoughts.

"We finally lost them, I think." Clawhowser whispered.

"There's no reason to whisper, Benji." Judy said.

"Oh sorry." Ben whispered.

"I think you're right, though." Judy said as she surveyed the street.

"So what do we do now?" Benji asked.

"I need to get to Nick." Judy said in deep thought.

"Ooooohkaaay….and how do we do that?"

"I have his address." Judy said. "I just need you to get us there safe."

"I can do that!" Ben said proudly as he put the cruiser in gear.

It was just passed two when they pulled up in front of Nick's apartment building. Judy thought she saw a few mammals running from the building as they rounded the corner and she feared the worst. As soon as the vehicle was stopped she jumped out and ran for the door.

"Wait!" Clawhowser called from the car. Judy halted and turned to face her coworker. "What should I do?"

"Get out of here." Judy said. "It's not safe. Nick and I can take care of ourselves, now get."

Clawhowser nodded and drove off, as Judy burst through the door. She flew up the stairs and pounded on the door. 'Please don't let me have been too late.' She prayed to whoever, or whatever, might have been listening. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, the door opened to reveal a very tired and worried fox.

* * *

 _Title credit goes to Catch 22._

 _Sorry for the wait for the update. I will try and get the next one out a bit sooner than a month and a half. Thanks for reading and sticking with me!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Well hello everyone. Thank you for the patience and support. I won't say much here. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Running Away**

The beat up car sputtered to a stop in front of a respectable looking pawn shop in the rain forest district. Nick stepped out into the driving rain, lifting his collar to the water; he walked around to Judy's side of the car and opened the door. He used his jacket to shield the bunny from the monsoon. He opened the shop door and led the way inside.

"Nick?" Judy hesitated. "Is this a good idea?"

Nick just looked at her. Her cute face was pulled down in concern. The water ran down her fur. Her ears were pressed to her back, and her eyes pleaded with him. He wasn't sure what they pleaded for, but the violet orbs pleaded with him all the same. He sighed and his shoulders drooped as he offered a reassuring, albeit weak, smile. "It's ok, Judy. Now come in, you'll catch a cold if you stand out there much longer."

Judy sloshed into the dusty store. Nick led her back through the deceptively deep building to a heavy metal door. He then knocked a pattern on the door. After a few seconds a slide opened in the door.

"How do you roll?" a gruff voice asked.

"One paw on the ground, and the other in the safe." Nick responded.

"Well fuck me!" came the gruff voice again, but this time much more excited.

The slide closed; then there was shouting from behind the door. This was all followed by a large commotion and the sound of multiple latches being thrown. Finally the door opened to reveal five rough cut foxes with huge smiles.

A scruffy red fox with a greying muzzle stepped forward and clasped Nick's shoulder in an affectionate, almost fatherly way. "Well shave my tail, it's Nick the Pick!" Nick smirked and took the older candid's paw in a firm shake. "What brings the famous musician to our humble store front?"

"Well…" Nick chuckled, "my long eared friend and I," he motioned to the still very wet Judy, "may have gotten in to some trouble."

Judy suddenly had ten piercing eyes on her. Every instinct in her told her to run. The only thing that kept her in place were the only two green eyes that smiled down at her saying that it was going to be ok. Her heart raced as she felt the others examining her.

"Wha's wif da bun. Nick?" asked a grey fox who was missing most his teeth.

"She got caught up in the mess and I can't just leave her behind. I can explain more downstairs." Nick said without ever looking away from the scared rabbit.

"Alright." The elder fox nodded. "Come on down. Scrag, lock the door."

The foxes all turned down the hall way. Nick ushered Judy through the door with a not-so-assuring wink. Scrag locked the heavy door behind them and sat in the small stool by the door.

After they had walk a little after the others Judy turned to Nick and whispered, "How in the blue blazes are these guys?"

Nick let out a heavy sigh. "These are the guys I used to work with before we started Wolfbane."

"Who are they?" Judy asked. "And what kind of work did you do?"

Nick looked away from the bunny.

"Just normal delivery stuff." Nick said.

Judy narrowed her eyes. "Was this for Mr. Big?"

"Yes." Nick said in a higher tone as he cringed.

"What kind of delivery work would earn you the name 'Nick the Pick'?" Judy asked as they came to a set of stairs.

"The kind that those of your profession don't condone…" Nick said as he led the bunny down into the den.

"Nick."

Nick froze. The way she had said his name was soft, but stern. He slowly turned to see the small bunny with her arms crossed, eyebrow up, and foot thumping. She seemed almost motherly. Her eyes were firm, yet pleading. Nick's chest began to somersault.

"Let me in." was all she had to say to make the wall fall down.

'This rabbit's gonna to be the death of me.' Nick told himself as he pondered what he was about to say. "We were thieves. Heist runners, you might say." Nick said with his head down, refusing to look the bunny in the eye. "I got my name by being the best fucking lock pick in Zootopia."

'So that's where he learned how to do that.' Judy realized as she thought back to the shipping warehouse.

"Frank, the old one, is, or was, our leader. The sandy colored ones are the Velox twins: Alex and Eddy. They were our con-specialists. The white one is Iago, he was our tech guy. Scrag was our fighter and get-away driver." Nick listed the names with a look of nostalgia on his face.

"How many heists did you pull?" Judy asked innocently.

"I dunno." Nick answered. He scratched the back of his head in thought as they came to the bottom of the stairs. "Twenty or Thirty big ones and too many little ones to count."

"You never got caught?" Judy pried.

"I was 'Implicated' in a few." Nick put air quotes around the word 'Implicated'. "Questioned on a few others, but never officially charged."

Judy was about to ask another question when Nick opened a door and lead her into what looked like a conference room. There was a large, old wooden table that dominated the center of the room. It was surrounded by tattered office chairs, stools, and crates. Nick pulled out one of the less tattered chairs for her, and plopped onto crate right next to her. The other foxes were already seated.

"Need sumfin to drink?" one of the twins asked Judy.

"Just some water, please." Judy answered.

"An' fer you Nick? Just yer old usual?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Ed." Nick answered with a smile.

"So what brings you back here?" Frank asked as Eddy left the room.

"Well my friend and I have gotten ourselves into a bit of a shitstorm, and we need your help." Nick explained.

"And who would this friend be?" Frank asked, turning his gaze on the bunny.

"Uh her name is…" Nick started.

"Judy Hopps." Judy interrupted.

Nick just about put his paw through his skull. Frank's eyes burrowed into Nick's head in fury.

"You brought a COP into this den?" Frank seethed.

"Let me explain." Nick said with his paws up defensively.

"YOU BROUGHT A MOTHERFUCKING COP INTO OUR DEN, AND YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LET THAT FUCKING SHIT SLIDE?!" Frank yelled, bearing his teeth.

"Yes." Nick answered calmly. Though his demeanor was calm, Judy could see the firm resolve behind his eyes. "You will let it slide, because she needs you and she is not an enemy. Sit your fucking ass down and put those fangs away before I rip them out of your head, old man."

There was a long, tense silence where the two waged war with each other. One angry and aggressive, the other calm and collected. Finally Iago put his paw on Frank's shoulder.

"Maybe we should trust Nick on this one. He's never crossed us before."

Frank growled and eased up. "You have one chance, Nick. Tell me why you two are here. If it is adequate to warrant bringing a cop in here: we will help. If not: well it won't be pretty."

"Thank you." Judy said. Earning a dirty look from both Frank and Nick.

"We've made some powerful enemies." Nick said, turning back to the elder fox.

"Who?"

"The Ghosts."

"Yeah right." Franks scoffed.

"You heard of that shooting at the O.M.F.U.G?" Nick asked.

"Who hasn't?" Frank responded.

"That was the night my band was playing. They killed Joey." Nick's voice wavered saying Joey's name; Judy had to restrain herself from reaching out to him. "Judy just happened to be running security at the show that night. She got it in her head that she would take them down. She roped me into it, and now we both have bounties on our heads." Nick tossed the flyer he took from one of the zebras that had attacked him earlier that morning.

"Shit Nick this is a lot of money." Frank said as he passed the flyer to the others, who had the same reaction.

"Yeah. Two fucks tried jumping me at work, and Judy has a few sniper holes in her wall. Right, carrots?" Judy just nodded her head. "So you gonna help us?"

"You got our help, Nick." Frank said. "Eddy you can come in now."

Eddy stepped in from the door way with now room temperature drinks in his paws.

"Soory." He said. "I didn' wanna innerupt."

"What do you need us to do?" Frank asked.

"We need to get out." Nick said sipping on his beer.

"Where to?" Iago piped up.

"I was thinking the Menagerie." Nick said coolly as the rest of the foxes dropped their jaws.

"Ah you fuckin' insane?" Alex asked.

"Just a little." Nick smirked.

"What's the Menagerie?" Judy asked.

"Don't worry about it." Nick said.

"Why do you need our help if you're just gonna go there?" Frank asked.

"The Ghosts have mammals in the ZPD. We need your collective expertise to get us out of the city unnoticed." Nick explained.

"But why there?" Frank pressed.

"They have mammals looking for us here, and Judy has family out in the Tri-Burrows, so we don't want to endanger them." Nick explained. "The Menagerie is our best bet for now."

"What all would a job like that entail?" Iago asked.

"A lot, potentially." Frank said as he leaned back in his chair. "We could need false I.D.s, disguises, tickets, definitely a time table. This could be rather in depth here, Nick."

"If there's any group of mammals I trust to pull it off, it's you." Nick said motioning to the group.

"When do you need to be out?" Frank asked.

"On the next train." Nick stated.

"Iago, when is the next train to the Menagerie?"

"Let me see." Iago unfolded a laptop and typed somethings in. "Noon tomorrow, or today rather. It's the only train this week."

"Well shit." Frank cursed his luck.

"Can we do it?" Nick asked.

"Of course we can do it." Frank said. "There's no better team out there. Doesn't mean it's not going to be hard as fuck, but we can do it."

"Let's get cracking then." Nick said as he downed the remaining half his beer in one go.

"Alright boys we have a job." Frank said and the foxes all cheered and headed for the door.

The next hour was a flurry of activity. Nick and Frank drew up multiple plans, Iago made countless phone calls, and the twins opened the storefront with Judy's help, while Scrag took a nap..

"Fuck my bushy ass…" Frank swore as he threw yet another sheet of paper to the can.

"Well what if we-" Nick started.

"Plan 15. Won't work."

"Oh yeah. Shit. Well how about-"

"Plan 52." Frank said and pointed at the pile of paper in the corner.

"We could-"

"Eighty-fucking-three." Frank huffed angrily. "We aren't getting you and your plush toy on that train."

"For the last fucking time: don't fucking call her that!" Nick snapped.

"What is the big deal with this ball of fluff?" Frank asked as he lit a cigarette.

"It's personal." Nick said looking down at the empty sheet of paper in front of him.

"You imprinted, didn't ya." Frank said in a relaxed tone.

"How the fuck does everyone guess that?!" Nick exclaimed throwing his arms in the air.

"You wear your emotions on your sleeve, Nick." Frank said. "You've gotten better with folks you don't know, but for the ones you care for its like reading a book; if you know how to read it that is."

Nick gave an exasperated sigh. "I don't know what to do." He admitted. "It's not like Finn where he imprinted on another pred; I imprinted on my natural prey! How the fuck is that shit supposed to work?"

Frank shook his head at his former pupil and partner. 'You haven't changed a bit have you, Nick?' He mused.

"I mean imprinting is a big deal. I won't ever love anyone like I love her, but she probably won't even want to-"

"Has she done anything to say she wouldn't?" Frank asked as he drew on his cigarette.

"Well. No." Nick said.

"Has she done anything to say she would?"

"Well…." Nick paused.

"Well what?" Frank pushed.

"She did kiss me the other night…" Nick said bashfully.

"She fucking KISSED you, and you don't know if she likes you back?" Frank spat. "Are you a special kind of moron?"

"She was in shock." Nick backpedaled. "We had just escaped the Ghosts. She had been injured. I basically saved her life. We were huddled together. It happened. She was in shock."

"Shock can cause people to do things they wouldn't normally do, but it won't make you feel something that isn't there. Shock usually just removes the 'Bad Idea' filter. If she kissed you, she meant it. Now if that situation hadn't occurred she would feel the same way, but she probably wouldn't have kissed you. Now I'm no doctor, this is all from experience, but I'd say that kiss was real."

"Really?" Nick asked, his ears lifting a bit.

"Really." Frank nodded as he finished his cig and lit another.

"You don't know how reliving it is to hear that." Nick chuckled.

"Coming from me it don't mean shit." Frank stated bluntly. "It will mean shit if it comes from her."

"I know, but just hearing some outside analysis is nice." Nick said with a smile.

"How did this situation come about?" Frank inquired.

"Well we were snooping around a P.P.P. office…"

"P.P.P.?"

"An all prey group hell bent on prey superiority." Nick explained.

"Fuck'em."

"That's how I feel. Anyways, we were snooping around and we found a meeting schedule. There just so happened to be a meeting that night not too far away. Judy went in and I played look out."

"Did you remember what I taught you?" Frank asked.

"Minimum of three exit routes, a plan for each, and a simple weapon."

"Good kit."

"So the meeting was going, but they knew who Judy was. They were planning on offing both of us."

"They knew you'd be at the meeting?"

"No." Nick explained. "The meeting was to brief the members on us. We just had really fucking bad timing."

"Seems like."

"So these cops, off duty, grab Judy and put her against the wall all firing squad style. I'm thinking I gotta do something. So I sneak in and prep a smoke bomb."

"How did you have a smoke bomb?" Frank asked, his brow furrowed.

"Well we had been at Big's the day prier, so I liberated a few things."

"Idiot." Frank face palmed.

"So I distract them, blow the smoke, and turn out the lights. I got Judy and bolted for the door. The cops were shooting everywhere. One hit Judy in the leg, so I pick her up and run out the back for an alley. Two cops on my tail. I duck in the alley a tuck us into a box to hide. The guys ran right passed us." Nick said triumphantly.

"Wait." Frank said in deep thought. "Box. You said a box?"

"Yeah." Nick confirmed, confused.

"HaHA!" Frank exclaimed. "Nick, you genius! That's it!"

"What's it?" Nick asked, still clueless.

Frank ran to the door.

"Iago!" he called.

"Sup?" was the reply.

"What kinda train is it? Cargo or passenger?"

"One sec!" Iago tapped on his computer. "Mostly cargo. Why?"

"We have a plan!" Frank cheered.

"What is the plan?" Nick asked, still scratching his head.

"We smuggle you two onto that train." Frank said, his face beaming.

"In a box?" Nick asked.

"Or like fuckin' hoboes. It doesn't matter. The important thing is that you need to be ok riding in a box car."

"If it will keep her safe." Nick said standing up. "I would ride in a plastic bag under the damn train."

"Good." Frank smirked. "We got work to do."

Four Hours Later:

Trucks zipped in and out of the train yard loading bay. Crates, boxes, and tanks were loaded and unloaded on and off the old box cars. A beat up red truck rolled up with a crate in the back.

"Oi!" called the driver to the nearest worker.

"What ya need?" replied the leopard.

"Ah gotta las' minute bit o' cargo." The fox answered.

"You ain't on the list." The worker informed the fox.

"A bit las' second this is; as it were." The driver said. "Do mate a solid?"

"I can't allow undocumented cargo on board." The leopard said, looking back to the crate. The wooden box had 'Tools' written across the side.

The driver heard a waver in the leopard's voice, and that's when he knew he had him.

"Lissen, mate." The fox said with an air of despair. "This 'ere shipment is goin' to a family in Bunnyburrah. If it don't get on this train it'll be a week 'til they can build their 'ome. You would'n' wan' a 'ole family goin' 'omeless, would ya?" The leopard shook his head. "Well do me a favor then, an' get this crate on that train. If'n ya need I got fifty zollars on me fo' the inconvenience." The driver pulled out a fresh fifty and showed the worker.

"Fuck ok." The leopard said as he pocketed the fifty. "Hey guys. This one onto car eighteen!"

Four mammals walked over and moved the crate onto a pallet, the top thankfully, and moved it onto the train. The fox drove away with a grin plastered on his face.

"Anover job well done." Scrag said as he headed back to the store.

Two hours later:

The whistle blew and the train began to roll out of the yard. In car eighteen the sound of cracking wood was drowned by the rumbling of the tracks. Nick broke open the top of the crate.

"Come on." Nick said over the sound of the train.

He took Judy's paw and helped her out of the box. He then tossed the duffle bag out onto the floor. Judy pulled out the blanket and spread it out on the rough floor. She then set the duffle bag up as a pillow and leaned against it. Nick joined her shortly.

"That was a good plan." Judy praised.

"Frank's a smart guy." Nick said. "Are you doing alright? It's been a rough night and half a day."

"My leg is a little sore." Judy said as she flexed her leg. "But Scrag gave me a pain killer and changed my bandages for me."

Nick smiled. He was thankful that his former group had helped out and respected his bunny.

"I am a bit tired, though." Judy said.

Nick looked over to see the bunny in the middle of a large yawn.

"Better catch some z's there, carrots. This day isn't even close to over."

Judy laid back a bit and Nick put his arm around her. They both slipped into a deep slumber.

When Judy woke up, the train had stopped, and Nick was gone. She looked around, and saw him by the door. He slid the door open to reveal the blinding sun. Judy squinted as Nick looked over his should and smiled.

"Welcome to the Menagerie."

* * *

Chapter Title credit: Ghoti Hook. I hope you liked this one. I had to fight for ideas on this one, so it might not be quite as good. See ya next time!


	17. Chapter 17

_Hello again, folks! Boy I cut this one close this month. With college over for now hopefully I can write a bit more. No promises though. This story has a mind of it's own. Anyway thanks to every one who has followed, favorited, and commented. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 17: In The Tombs**

"So what you are telling me is that they got away…again?" A very irate pig said as he rubbed temples.

"Well…" a nervous sheep hesitated, "yes."

The pig grunted in aggravation as he sipped on his cognac. 'How do those two manage to be so damned slippery?' He wondered. "Get Dave on the phone. Now!"

The wooly mammal ran out of the room and returned a minute later. "I have him on line two, sir."

"Thank you, Carlton." The pig said cordially as he picked up the set and hoofed the button.

"What did you need, Hamilton?" came an apprehensive voice.

"Our unnatural duo has escaped again." Hamilton said in a level voice.

"I put out the hit." Dave said. "What else do you want?"

"I have a feeling that they may have fled the city."

"There's no way they could without one of your men knowing." Dave said in a tired tone.

"Wilde is a criminal, remember?"

"And?"

"He has friends. He could get out under the radar, and the rabbit will be with him."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Dave whined. "Call a full mobilization?"

" Close, but no." The response shocked the deer on the other side of the line. "I want all chapters in the Tri-Borrows notified."

"Ok." Dave nodded on his side.

"Also get in touch the Almam brothers in the Menagerie."

"Those buffoons?" Dave scoffed. "They couldn't catch a cold, and do you really think that they would go to the Menagerie?"

"With Hopps' smarts and Wilde's knowledge of the unsavory sides of town, it could be very likely." The swine mused.

"Alright." Dave huffed. "I'll tell those antlered nincompoops to report directly back to us if they see anything."

"Good." The pig put the phone back on the hook, and leaned back in his chair. 'We need this cleaned up.' He thought to himself. 'Bogo is going to start looking to Internal Affairs, I'm sure Hopps told him that there were officers working for us. I should tell those three to take a week or two off.' He looked out the window of his community center office. There was a group of children playing soccer on the lawn, four prey and two tiger cubs. Hamilton's snout scrunched in disgust. 'Soon this city will be rid of those fanged monsters.'

"Stay close, and keep your ears down" Nick whispered as he led Judy out into the heart of the Menagerie.

Judy just nodded and followed close behind. The smell of sweat, sewage, and refuse made the bunny gag. She had never breathed air so vile. She followed the fox into the main flow of the street. It was a crushing wave of mammality. She felt like she was back home, but with mammals much larger than rabbits; which made the situation much more terrifying. Nick weaved through the crowd as Judy struggled to keep up.

The road curved to avoid a cliff. There was an old stone banister that kept mammals from falling of the ledge. Nick climbed on top to gain his bearings, and Judy jumped up next to him. It was her first good look at squalor that was the Menagerie.

The entire city, if you could call it that, was placed in a valley between the mountains that separated the Rain Forrest and Tundra Town districts. It was a never ending sea of brown and rust, mixed with a hint of smog. Houses, or huts rather, made from cardboard, tin, and rusted steel were stacked on top of each other; some four or five high. There was a river that ran down the middle of the settlement that was a deep brown. In the center were the carcasses of old factories that were surrounded by what looked like dilapidated tenement housing. Only a few smokestacks had smoke billowing from their openings.

"What happened to this place?" Judy asked in disbelief.

"Progress." was all Nick said as he hopped down from the wall. Judy quickly followed him.

They walked through the dingy, dirty streets. Some were lined with vendors selling everything from food to clothes to home goods; some were nothing but bars and drug addicts; others were just seemingly normal streets with children playing in them. The children broke Judy's heart. Most were barefoot, many either didn't have a shirt or had what could only be described as rags. Judy couldn't believe that they were still technically in the city of Zootopia. Nick pulled her down an alley.

"Where are we going, Nick?" Judy asked.

"To see an old friend who can put us up for a while." Nick said not looking at her. His ears were fully erect and his eyes darted from side to side. He was on high alert.

"You have a lot of friends." Judy poked.

"When you run on the streets you have to, or else you die." Nick said as he ducked down another narrow street.

After another turn or two Nick realized that he didn't hear Judy's footsteps behind him. He spun on his heel and ran back down the alley when he heard a deep chuckle.

"She sure is perty, i'n't she?" the voice said.

"Oh yeah." A strangled voice spoke. "Real perty."

"So fuck her, then eat her?" a raspy voice asked.

"Sounds good to me." The deep voice said again.

There was a sound of ripping cloth, and Nick heard Judy's muffled voice protesting. Nick felt a primal rage build within him. He stepped around the corner to see three jackals. Two had Judy pinned down, and the other had his belt undone. Judy was almost naked. The hoodie she had been wearing was in tatters around her torso, her jeans ripped and lying at the third jackal's feet. Her eyes pleaded for help, but Nick didn't need to be asked. He lunged at the jackal that loomed over his rabbit. The jackal didn't see it coming, and his skull met with Nick's brass knuckles. He was out cold, but then the other two came. Nick landed a few hits before the bigger of his two opponents grabbed him and put him against the wall. Nick's head then bounced between two fists until he was nearly unconscious. They finally had enough, and let Nick go. They then picked their comrade up and walked away. Nick just slid down the wall, his world a haze.

Judy scrambled over to him.

"Nick!" she yelled, panicked. "Nick!"

She knelt in front of him. His right eye was swelling up, he was bleeding from his nose and mouth, and she was sure he had a tooth missing. His eyes were going in and out of focus.

"Nick can you hear me?" Judy asked, remembering her training.

"Mmmhmm…" Nick grunted.

"Do you feel dizzy or disoriented?" Judy questioned as she checked his pupils.

"Little." Nick said groggily. "I've 'ad worse."

"You have a concussion." Judy said.

"Are you ok?" Nick asked, clutching Judy's shoulders.

"Uh…all things considered, I guess." Judy answered.

"Oh thank fucking goodness." Nick breathed as he pulled Judy into a hug. He held onto her like his life depended on it. He just sat there with her in his arms for a few minutes, thanking everything he could that she was ok. "We need to get moving." He said, releasing the bunny. He tried to get up and staggered.

"Nick you can hardly stand." Judy said. Nick's one good eye was open wide as he propped himself against the wall. "What are you…" Judy started to ask as she looked down and realized she was still half naked. "Stop staring!" Judy snapped at the enamored fox. Nick clamped his eye shut. Judy found a tattered jacket that was just too big for her on the ground and put it on. "Ok you can look."

Nick opened his eye to see a perturbed bunny in an oversized blue hoodie.

"No jokes."

"You sure are taking this "almost raped and eaten" thing pretty well." Nick said as he straightened up.

"You would be shocked about some of the stories I could tell you from high school." Judy deadpanned.

"Well fuck." Nick said, surprised. "Well let's get going. It's almost dark, and bad things happen in the dark down here."

Nick started to step forward, and ended up staggering to the nearest light pole; which was three feet away.

"You can't walk like this." Judy said. "You can't even stand."

"We can spend a night in a box in the Canal or Nocturnal districts fine, but here unless you want to be dead you get inside by dark. It's only a few more streets down." Nick said as he stumbled another few feet to a dumpster.

"Take this." Judy lifted a pipe into his hand. "And keep a paw on me. Just tell me where to go."

Nick was dubious, but complied. They trudged down the darkening streets with only a few stumbles. Finally the stopped in front of a brick building with a painted sign that read: "Skye's Rides" in crude red letters. They stepped in, and were instantly met by three scantily clad girls. A gazelle, a wolf, and a lynx.

"Get me Skye." Nick rasped.

"And who would be so bold as to demand me?" a sultry voice wafted through the busy brothel.

"Don't tell me you don't recognize me." Nick smirked as he looked towards the origin of the voice. Judy followed his gaze to see a beautiful, silver fox in a flowing red dress with gold accents.

"Nicky!" the vixen exclaimed as she rushed to him. "What in the world happened to you?"

"You know me: always gotta play the hero." Nick quipped.

"I told you to stop that! It'll get you killed." Skye said in a motherly tone. She then noticed the bunny standing next to Nick. "And who's the bunny?"

"My damsel in distress." Nick said lovingly, with a joking tone.

"My name is Judy."

"Skye." The vixen smiled.

"We need a room and some ice." Nick said.

"Nickolas P. Wilde. You burst into my business, bringing an unknown bunny, beat to within an inch of your life, and expect to be able to demand a room without any questions?" Skye scolded.

"Yup." Nick said with a smug grin.

Skye sighed and dropped her shoulders in defeat.

"Fine."

"Thanks. I'll tell you everything tomorrow." Nick promised.

"Oh yes you are." Skye said in a tone that made a lump form in Nick's throat. "Deserae take them to the Honeymoon Suite."

"Yes, Miss Skye." The lynx nodded.

They were led up two flights of stairs and down a hallway to a large, red set of double doors with hearts carved into them. Deserae opened the doors to reveal a room covered in red and pink. From the shag carpet to the bedding to the walls, everything was either a hot pink or deep red.

"Enjoy your night." The lynx said with a health amount of assumption in her tone.

"A brothel?" Judy asked, after the lynx shut the door.

"Yup." Nick said as he took some uneasy steps to the bed.

"You brought me to a BROTHEL?"

"Better than the street. Trust me." Nick said, taking his boots off.

As if to prove his point, a gun fight broke out in the distance.

"Fine." Judy conceded. "But I'm not happy about it."

"You don't have to be happy about it." Nick said as he took off his shirt. "All that matters is that you're reasonably safe here, and that makes me happy." Judy was struck by those words. "Now do you want the bed?"

"You need it more than me. You almost died today." Judy said.

"That wasn't really a question." Nick said. "I won't let you sleep on the floor."

"Well I won't let you not get the care you need." Judy rebutted.

"You're not sleeping on the floor."

"You aren't not sleeping on that bed."

"I'll be fine. Just take the bed."

"No. You take it."

"Carrots, just take it."

"No. You need it. You take it."

"No. You."

"You."

"YOU!"

"NO. YOU!"

"YOU!"

"YOU!"

"YOU!"

"YOU!"

"YOU!"

There was a knock at the door.

"WHAT?!" the two yelled in unison.

The door opened to reveal a young bear. "Your ice, Mr. Wilde." She said holding out a bag of ice.

"Oh." Nick said, feeling bad for yelling at her. "Thank you."

The bear rushed out as Nick place the ice to his eye. As the bear was about to close the door she said quickly, "Why don't you share the bed?" Then she left.

The pair sat in awkward silence for a while.

"She has a point." Nick shrugged.

"Are you serious?" Judy asked indignantly.

"It's a big bed." Nick said. "You can have this side, and I'll take that one."

Judy mulled it over, and finally let out a defeated huff.

"Fine." She said. "But you get any ideas, and I'll finish the job those hyenas started." She pointed at his eye.

"You wound me." Nick said, putting his paw over his chest. "I might be a thief, a liar, and a scoundrel, but I respect women."

"You better." Judy said. "Now move over."

She jumped up and slid under the covers. There was an awkward feeling, but soon the trials of the day caught up with them, and they were asleep.

Nick was woken up in the middle of the night by a soft noise. He looked around the dark room for the source. His eyes fell on Judy. She had kicked off the covers, and was curled up in a ball. She was still wearing the grungy sweater she had picked up, and her small form was shaking. Nick leaned in, and found that the noise that had awoken him was her sobs. He reached out, and gently placed his paw on her shoulder. She screamed.

"NO! No! Stay back! Don't touch me!" she wailed, her fur matted from the tears that flowed freely down her face.

Nick's heart broke for her.

"Judy." He said softly. "It's ok. It's just me."

Nick held his arms open.

"Nick…" Judy sighed in relief, with a hint of desperation.

She jumped into his arms as she continued to cry into his shoulder.

"What's gotcha so worked up, Carrots?" Nick whispered, stroking the ears that Judy had folded to her back.

"B-b-b-bad dream." Judy managed to say between hushed sobs.

"Those hyenas earlier?" Nick asked, glaring at a point in space where he envisioned the three. He bared his teeth at the imaginary foes.

Judy just nodded as she clutched his fur tighter in her paws.

"No need to worry about them now." Nick said as he envisioned the demise of the fiends who dared touch her. "You're safe here. Get some rest."

Nick continued to hold Judy until her sobs subsided. He chanced a look down at her, and found her fast asleep in his arms.

'De javu.' Nick thought, as he smiled.

Nick soon fell after his bunny into the serene darkness of sleep.

* * *

Title credited to The Casualties.

Comment and let me what you think so far!


	18. Chapter 18

_Finally back with another chapter folks. I'm gonna level guys, I really lost my mojo for this story this month. It wasn't even writer's block, it was just not wanting to work on this. I hated it, but that's what happened. Getting a second job, and working on a new story idea didn't really help. But I think it was good. I was unsatisfied with the last chapter, and felt I could do better. Up until now I have had no real idea where this story was going, I just let the story tell me where it wanted to go in the next chapter and I would follow. Now, though, I have a hazy end goal so hopefully things will start to be a bit more solid plot wise. The updates will probably still be pretty sporadic. Sorry about that. But at least I have some mojo back, and a chapter I feel good about. So sorry for my long windedness. Enjoy the show!...Chapter...you know what I mean._

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Avenues and Alleyways**

Nick woke first. He looked down at the bunny curled up on his chest.

'So peaceful.' He mused as he gently slid out from under her.

He stretched and cracked his back as he walked to the window. He gazed out through the smudged glass and grey air upon the slum he found himself in. Everything was just how he remembered it from his last trip. It was still dim as the sun had yet to crest the mountains that surrounded the desperate district. There were a few mammals lounging against the sides of the buildings along the street. He knew that some were no longer breathing, and wondered how the ones that were managed to stay that way. He saw a mother wolf crying over the bloody remains of her pup. She cradled the young adult in her arms while fellow gang members stood around.

'Doesn't matter how old you are.' Nick thought, 'you will always be a pup in your mother's eyes.'

Nick's eyes began to water; then he felt a pressure on his side. He blinked the tears away, and looked to the source of the pressure. He met the big, sympathetic eyes of a bunny that held the incredible power to calm him with just a look.

'Those eyes are gonna kill me.' Nick thought as he became lost in a sea of purple.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Uh…yeah." Nick answered, flustered.

"You don't look ok." Judy said in a soft knowing, motherly way.

"I am." Nick said as he wiped his eyes, and forced a smile. "It's just this shitty air."

"Alright." Judy noticed that his smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm here if you ever need to talk." She patted his side, and offered a small smile.

As she walked away he glanced back out to the mother. His heart broke for her. He knew the pain that she was feeling.

"Nick?"

He turned to see a concerned look from his bunny.

"I'm fine." He reassured.

She just nodded and turned back to what she was doing. He felt the heaviness in his chest lift just a bit as he looked at her. A sad, but genuine, smile stretched across his face.

'I think ma would've liked you.' He told her in his mind.

Nick found himself staring at the bunny while she rummaged through the duffel bag they had brought. She was still wearing her torn jeans and the grungy hoodie. She turned around with an arm full of clothes.

"Can I get some privacy?" She asked with raised eyebrows and a snarky tone.

"Huh?" Nick grunted, startled out of his trance. "Yeah, uh, yeah." He shook his head. "I'll just head down stairs." He grabbed his shirt as he walked to the door.

"Was he really staring at me?" Judy asked herself once he had left.

She shook her head and smiled to herself as she took of the hoodie.

"That feels so good." Judy sighed as the nasty piece of cloth slipped from her form.

She saw a glint out of the corner of her eye, and turned to look. She found herself staring at her reflection. Her fur was matted and dirty, and her clothes were torn to ribbons. Her shirt was shredded across her stomach showing the light grey fur; it only just covered her modest breasts. The legs of her pants resembled zebra stripes: a strip of denim and a stripe of fur. She clutched herself; she could feel the claws on her again.

"They jumped me from out of nowhere." She said to herself. "I should've noticed them long before they got to me."

She leaned against the wall.

"I've been so off this last week, or so. Ever since the shooting, ever since…"

An image of Nick with his signature smirk flashed in her mind's eye.

"Why does he make me act like a rookie when I'm around him?" She asked angrily. "What is it about him?!"

Her anger overpowered her flashback, and she got changed as she laid out a plan to take the lead on the investigation, it was her investigation after all. All he was was a consultant.

"That's right." She said aloud, as she looked at her now fully clothed self in the mirror. "I'm the cop here. It's time I took charge."

She huffed and was about to storm out the door when a strange curiosity came over her.

'What was Nick looking at that had him so worked up?' her brain asked her.

She looked at the window like it was some great mystery, and walked over to it. The sill was just taller than her, so she pulled a chair over to boost her up. She scanned the desolate street until her vision fell on the small group of mammals surrounding the body of a young wolf. An older wolf female was cradling the corpse like it was a child.

"Oh sweet…" Judy gasped as she realized what was happening.

She watched the scene a little, then another strange thought.

'I thought Nick was used to stuff like this. Why would this hurt him so bad?' with that she turned and walked out of the tacky room.

Meanwhile:

Nick trudged down the hallway of the brothel. The walls were a light blue, the carpet a faded red, and the lights glowing a sickly yellow. The paint was chipped, the molding was broken, and the air hung heavily. Nick moved down the hall as mammals exited their respective rooms. Some staggered hung over, some covered their faces in embarrassment, and others strutted down the passage with pride. Nick shook his head at those who looked as though they had accomplished something impressive.

'You paid a whore to do her job, asshat.' Nick ridiculed them as he buttoned his shirt. 'You aren't some great Casanova. What you did was equivalent to hiring a plumber or electrician. You hired a professional to do a job.'

He caught the eye of a tigress sitting on her bed. She gave him a meager smile, but behind her eyes he could see the hurt and death. There was no spark, no flame that indicated any hope; or anger even. Just the deadpan of pure apathy and despair.

'And damn do I hate this profession.' He mentally snarled.

Nick blamed the government for the creation of this hell scape, but he also blamed the drug dealers and pimps for the culture. Even in the Menagerie there was better work than this, but drugs stole the minds of the mammals, and jobs like this stole their dignity. Nick firmly believed that no matter what level of society a mammal was in, that they deserved just as much respect as any other, and this was as disrespectful as one could get..

'This just lowers a mammal to the level of your right paw.' Nick thought as he descended the stairs. 'It makes them a piece of meat, good only for taking your dick and nothing else. No mammal is that worthless. Every mammal has a meaning and value to them, and no mammal is inherently better any other. Fuck anyone who says different. Prey or pred.'

Nick continued down the stairs until he came to the ground floor. He halted when he heard the conversation taking place.

"Now you're real sure you ain't seen either o' these mammals?" asked a high voice.

"I don't know the rabbit, and I haven't seen Nick's hide in years." Skye replied.

"Well, h'okey. But you be sure to let us know if'n ya see 'um now, m'kay?" said a deeper voice.

"Will do, officers."

"Tanks. 'Ave a good day." Said the higher voice.

Nick heard some footsteps.

'Sounds like hooves.' Nick thought.

He dared to peek around the corner as two moose exited the building. Skye was standing by the bar with a wanted poster in her paw.

Nick deemed it safe to step out, so he did. He hadn't taken two steps before Skye screamed at him.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde!"

Nick froze in his tracks, turned on his heel, and started to coolly walk back to the room.

'Judy's probably dressed by now.' He told himself.

However his escape was halted by a very strong paw grabbing his scruff; eliciting a yipe from the fox.

'Fuck.' He thought.

"Just what kinda shit pile have you jumped into?" Skye asked as she held the wanted poster in front of her prisoner.

"Wow. Ten grand dead or alive?" Nick tried to joke. "I've finally hit the big ti-YIPE!"

Skye tightened her grip on the poor todd.

"Answer me." She growled.

"Erm. It's a long story."

"I don't have much to do today."

"It's not really that interesting. Plus I have some things to do, so…."

"Nickolas, you will be telling me what the fuck is going on right now, if you like being right side out." Skye threatened.

Nick resigned the battle, and the two foxes sat on a tacky couch. Nick recounted everything that had happened over the last week and a half. Skye never spoke during the whole tale aside from a question or two for clarification. After about an hour Nick finished his story, and Skye sat in silence.

"You might find some looser lips here than in the main city." She said at length.

"And why's that?" Nick asked.

"Down here those kind of bastards aren't as hidden as they are there." Skye explained.

"They aren't afraid of the authorities?" came a voice from the stairs.

The foxes looked to the stairs to see a, now dressed, Judy.

"What authorities?" Skye huffed. "What police is here is corrupt, or in the pocket of some crime outfit. There is no law here, except for the laws that benefit the gangs."

"This might technically be Zootopia, but this is about as far as you can get from your glass plated utopia, carrots." Nick added.

"But still," Judy sat on the couch between the candids, "there must be something keeping them in control."

"There is." Skye said plainly. "The other gangs. Did you hear the gunfire last night?"

Judy nodded.

"That's the only thing keeping one gang from running the whole area." Skye explained.

"The gang wars down here have been raging for decades." Nick chipped in. "Generations have been fighting these wars, none are really able to get an edge. It's turned into some twisted chess game in ways, with some of the more powerful gangs being supported by outside sources."

"What do you mean supported?" Judy asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"Cash, weapons, even training or leadership sometimes. I know Big supports the gang that controls this block, and the surrounding area." Skye said. "Mafia bosses, crooked politicians, and dirty business moguls will all support a gang in return for various things. Money, protection of assets, or just the feeling of power."

"Drugs and smuggling are huge down here." Nick elaborated. "I know Big uses his guys to protect warehouses for his smuggling."

Judy was soaking all of this information up like a sponge. Taking mental notes to report to the Chief later.

"Has there been a specific group that has gotten more powerful lately?" Judy asked Skye.

The vixen was caught off guard by the question.

"What do you mean?"

"Has there been a gang that has become more powerful lately?" Judy reworded.

"Gangs rise and fall all the time. You need to be more specific." Skye snarked.

"Has there been a gang that has gained prominence lately, in a sudden or strange way?" Judy clarified, slightly annoyed.

"Not recently." Skye answered in deep thought. "But here about a year ago the NYD gang started getting pretty ballsy. But they stopped when the Nighthowler thing was taken care of. They haven't lost ground, but they haven't been pushing either."

"How much ground did they take?" Nick asked.

"In the few months they were active, they took about twenty blocks."

"Holy shit!" Nick's jaw dropped. "And they just stopped?"

"Yup." Skye just nodded.

"What does NYD stand for?" Judy asked.

"Not Your Dinner." Skye answered. "It's a mostly prey, well all prey now, but it used to be open to prey and smaller preds that would've been hunted back in the olden days as well. But then they got a new leader, and he killed all the preds and closed the gang to prey only." Skye shook her head in disgust. "He said he wanted to "Cleanse the Menagerie of the oppressive pred population". He believes that prey are the pinnacle of evolution."

"Fucking dickhead." Nick cursed.

"You said it." Skye agreed.

"Wait. A guy that motivated, taking that much ground that fast, and he just stopped after the Nighthowler fiasco?" Nick questioned. "Did another group rise against them?"

"Nope." Skye responded, shocking Nick and intriguing Judy. "They just stopped moving a few weeks after that ewe was arrested."

"So a militant group just stops after a high profile mammal, with the same beliefs, is taken out." Judy mused as the vulpines listened. "Almost as if they no longer had orders." As Judy made this realization her ears stood on end and her eyes opened wide.

"You don't think?" Nick asked.

"I would bet money that the P.P.P supported the NYD, but after losing a leader, or maybe the leader, they stagnated." Judy said confidently.

"We need some info on the NYD." Nick said.

"Get in touch with Big's boys." Skye said. "They've been battling the NYD for a few months now; they would have info on them."

"How do we find them?" Judy asked.

"Go to the diner on the corner. Skipper's. Ask to see Skinny, and say that I sent you." Skye said.

"Great! Let's go!" Judy hopped up and started for the door.

"Carrots…" Nick whined.

She turned to see the pouting fox.

"Can we have a bit of a break? A few hours. We need to eat and wash up." Nick pleaded his case. "Plus I'm still really sore from yesterday."

Only then did Judy take the time to notice how busted up Nick was. The skin under his fur was noticeably darker and puffy still around his eye. His lip was split, and he was missing a tooth.

"Ok." Judy sighed, disappointed.

Nick gave a huff of relief as he leaned back into the sofa.

Judy asked if there was a place to get some breakfast, and Skye pointed her through a door that said, "Employees Only." Skye didn't just run a brothel, but a home as well. Any of her girls were welcome to live in the building. This might seem like a bad deal, but for many they had either an abusive home or nothing to go back to, so many took the fox up on her offer. She had a full kitchen and dining room, as well as a living room and small library.

Nick closed his eyes on the couch. Skye stayed seated next to him as one of her girls started a conversation wither.

"Oh hey, Skye?" Nick asked after a few minutes, eyes still closed.

"Yes?" the vixen replied, annoyed as he had just interrupted a conversation she was having.

"Who were those moose cops in here earlier?" he inquired.

"Just the local crooked beat." She shrugged.

"Do you know who owns them?"

"No." was the answer as Skye scratched her head. "Why?"

"Just following a hunch." Nick waved off as he sat up. "Where is their precinct?"

"52nd and Broadway." Came the suspicious answer. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." Nick replied with a grin.

He got up and walked through the door that Judy had just a few minutes ago, a scheme already hatching in his mind.

* * *

Title credit goes to Rancid. Please comment and tell me what you thought!


	19. Chapter 19

_Hey there everyone! Yes this is just the first half of this chapter, but I was running behind and I still have quite a bit of work on the next part. This was ready though and there is a jump between this half and the next half so I felt that this would still work alright. I should be able to get the second half up in about two weeks. After that the uploads might get even more sparse (Fuck me right?) because I'll be heading back up to school at the end of August. Thank you for tarrying with me. Enjoy the first half of chapter 19!_

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Unity (Part One)**

Chief Bogo had just sat down at his desk for the first time that day, and he already felt like he had been there all day. He had been searching the personnel profiles of every prey officer in the city for any hint as to who might have betrayed the ZPD, and tried to kill one of his best, ever since Judy had told him about her experience at the meeting. The buffalo couldn't remember the last time he had been so tired on a case.

He began again at the seemingly endless task. Line after line of mind-numbing information flashed on the old monitor. Name, Rank, Precinct, Department, Height, Weight, Species, ect, ect, so on, and so forth. It was an arduous task for a single mammal to take on.

Bogo was about to fall asleep when his phone began to ring.

 _ **I won't give up, no I won't give in, Till I reach the end, And then I'll start again, Though I'm on the lead, I wanna try everything, I wanna try even though I could fail**_

"Shit." Bogo muttered, as he reached for his phone.

He composed himself and pressed the answer button.

"Chief Bogo, Zootopia Police Department." He answered professionally.

"Chief? Officer Hopps." Came the voice from the other side of the line.

"Shit, Hopps." The chief hushed his tone. "Why aren't you using the phone I gave you?"

"Nick got rid of it when we went into hiding." Judy said apologetically.

Bogo let out a heavy, aggravated sigh.

"Where are you, and what's the update?" Bogo said as he rubbed the bridge of his snout.

"We went to the Menagerie."

"THE MEN-" Bogo caught himself. "The Menagerie?" he asked in a quiet, almost panicked voice. "Why would you go there?!"

"Nick thought that the Ghosts wouldn't expect us to come here, so even though it's dangerous we won't have anyone gunning for us specifically." Judy explained.

"Fine." Bogo didn't like the fox's idea, but saw the logic. Down there they were in no more danger than any other mammal. "Have you found anything concerning the P.P.P. or the shooting?"

"Well we know for sure that the shooting was committed by the P.P.P., and we have linked somethings together, but only in theory."

"What are these "somethings"?" Bogo got a note pad.

"I'm sure you are aware of the gang wars down here."

"I am."

"Well apparently some gangs are funded by outside sources such as Mob Bosses, Politicians, and such. There was a mostly prey gang, now all prey, that rose in power about a year ago during the months that the Nighthowler fiasco was happening."

"Ok." Bogo noted it down. "What's the connection?"

"The leader of the gang is set on 'cleansing' the Menagerie of predators. They were taking ground at a fast rate, and then they just stopped a few weeks after Bellweather was arrested." Judy explained.

"Interesting." Bogo muttered, writing it down.

"We believe that the P.P.P. funded the group, and when Bellweather, whom we believe was the head of the P.P.P., was taken down they lost their support." Judy concluded.

"What is the name of this gang?" Bogo asked.

"The NYD, or Not Your Dinner, Gang."

Bogo chuckled at the name.

"Is there anything else you need, Chief?" Judy asked.

"Yes." Bogo said. "I need to know if you have any more information about the identity of the mammals attacked you that were on the force."

"Well, Chief, I didn't know any of them." Judy said sheepishly. "There were two pigs and a ram."

"Ok. Is there anything else?" Bogo pressed.

"Let me ask Nick." Judy said.

 **On the other side of the line.**

"Nick?"

"Hm?" Nick hummed as he sat by the bunny at the table.

"Was there any information about the identities of the mammals in the meeting the other night?" Judy asked, covering the mouth piece of an old land line phone.

"Uh, yeah." Nick thought hard to remember. "There was a list of names and numbers on the paper that had the meeting schedule."

"In the warehouse?"

"Yeah." Nick nodded. "But they probably cleaned that place out after what happened that night."

 **Bogo's Office.**

Bogo was tapping his hoof on the desk impatiently.

"Chief?" Judy asked.

"Still here." Bogo huffed.

"There was a list of names and phone numbers on a piece of paper in the office we searched. But Nick is doubtful that its all still in tact."

"A lead is a lead." The buffalo shrugged. "Where was it?"

"Um…Warehouse 13 on the Great Mammoth Dock in the Canal District."

"Alright. Good work, Hopps."

"Thank you, sir." Judy responded with a hint of pride.

And with that the Chief ended the call, as he pondered his next steps.

He needed to conduct this case under the radar. He couldn't know who would be working against him if he opened a formal investigation, also there was the fact that all of his evidence stemmed from a technically unauthorized investigation which made all of said evidence unusable in court. He refused to hand the matter to Internal Affairs since those bastards seemed to delight in getting his officers fired for minor code infractions, and many of them were prey so that made them even less trustworthy.

'You can't be thinking like that.' Bogo scolded himself.

The unfortunate truth of the matter was that there really wasn't much chance that a predator would be working with the P.P.P. or Ghosts. These were prey run, hate driven groups that probably wouldn't allow a pred into their ranks even if the pred wanted to. This left Bogo torn between the facts of the situation and his own morals. He didn't want to look at prey the way prey had looked at predators during the Nighthowler Case, but there was some merit to it now as there was then. It was only preds being targeted to go savage, but not all preds were shot; similar to how these organizations were run solely by prey, but not all prey were a part of either organization.

Bogo refused to regress to blind stereotyping. He would not allow the idea that just because a mammal is a prey that they think like all other prey, same for preds. Zootopia was a place that embraced and accepted mammals, no matter what they thought or said, because one's worth is not in the color of his fur or the idea's that he had, but in the fact that he was mammal and deserved the same respect as any other; whether you agreed with him or not. One feisty bunny had taught him that.

A tap on his door broke Bogo out of his thoughtful stupor.

"Who is it?" he grunted.

"Just me, sir." Came the answer from one of the only mammals he knew he could trust.

"Come in, Clawhowser."

The door creaked open as the portly cat stuck his head in.

"Come all the way in, Clawhowser." The Chief said in an exasperated voice.

The cheetah scurried through the opening, plopping himself in the chair in front of the Chief.

"What did you need?" Bogo asked in a professional manner, though he knew why the cat had come in.

"Um well, Sir, I was just wondering if there had been any-uh-any word from Judy-er-Officer Hopps. Sir." Clawhowser babbled.

Bogo could see that Benji was anxious, and rather worked up.

"I just got off the phone with her." Bogo assured.

"Oh good." Clawhowser sighed in relief. "Where is she? How is she?"

"I can't tell you where she is, but she sounded fine." Bogo replied.

"Why can't you tell me?" Ben asked.

"I can't tell you that either." Bogo said firmly

"But Chiiiiief." Clawhowser whined.

"Alright, listen. I can't tell you anything about her whereabouts because it might put her in danger." The Chief wore a stern look on his face.

"Oh." Benji said quietly in understanding.

"Was there anything else you needed?" Bogo asked.

"No, sir." Said Clawhowser, disappointed.

As the sad cheetah shuffled to the door, Bogo felt sorry for him. He and Judy had become close friends. The other night had really scared the big cat, and Bogo felt sorry for sending him instead of a more seasoned field officer. So just as he reached the door Bogo cleard his throat, causing the feline to turn around.

"You know…" The Chief said, rubbing the back of his neck, "my wife was planning on baking her famous Double Chocolate Cake tonight."

Clawhowser gasped in delight.

"The one with the cherries in it?" he asked.

"That's the one." Bogo nodded.

The response was an elated squeal from the large cat.

"Would you like to have dinner with us tonight, and have some cake?" Bogo offered.

"O-M-Goodness, would I ever!" Ben answered giddily.

"Good. Seven O'clock?"

"Sounds good, Chief!"

Clawhowser then exited the office with the biggest smile the Chief had ever seen on his face.

Bogo picked up his phone again and called his wife.

"Hey, what's up?" was the answer.

"Hey, Martha. Do you have the stuff to make that chocolate cake?" Bogo asked.

"Yeah." Was the questioning, yet playful response. "Why?"

"Well I may have invited Benjamin Clawhowser to dinner tonight." The buffalo said sheepishly.

"And you used the cake as bait, didn't you."

"I might have, yes." Bogo confirmed.

"You're gonna owe me one. That cake is a bitch to make."

"Thank you, honey."

"Mhm. Grab some fish on the way home. I doubt a cheetah will appreciate a salad for dinner." Martha said.

"No problem. Thank you." Bogo agreed.

"It better be no problem." Martha sassed. "Have a good day."

"I love you." Bogo said.

"Love you, too."

There was a click as the line went dead.

Bogo sighed and turned to his work.

The day passed and evening fell on the city. There had been no major incidents that day; a shoplifting had been the most exciting event. The clock struck half past five. Bogo stretched in his chair, gathered his things, and headed for the door.

As he walked out his replacement, Deputy Chief Hamilton, entered the building.

"Hey, Hammy." Bogo greeted.

"Evening, Idris." The pig answered back.

"The precinct's your's for the night." Bogo informed him.

"Unusual for you to leave so early. Something wrong?" the pig asked.

"Just have dinner with the wife, tonight." Bogo replied. "It's been too long since I've done that."

"I understand." Hamilton nodded. "Oh I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What's the news on Hopps? I would've expected her to be back by now."

"I gave her the month off." Bogo explained.

"The IA investigation was over in a matter of days. The use of her firearm was more than warranted. They didn't even bother interviewing her."

"It was her first real shooting. That's tough for any officer." Bogo said. "She killed that day. I think she deserves an extended break. Especially considering that she hasn't taken one in the last year."

"I suppose you're right." The old hog mused. "Have a good night then, Chief."

"You, too." Bogo planted a hoof on the swine's shoulder as he passed him.

Bogo walked out to his unmarked cruiser, a large, black SUV. As he drove down the city streets towards Safari Sam's to pick up the fish for Clawhowser, he began to think about how much of a pain this one shooting had become. Shootings in the Nocturnal District weren't uncommon, though they weren't a normal part of every day. Every week or so there would be one, usually influenced by one that had occurred prior. Most of the street gang influence that remained intact in Zootopia rested in the Nocturnal District, so small wars and skirmishes happened from time to time. The public usually ignored them, or only paid a small amount of attention. These kind of cases were also pretty cut and dry. There was almost always three or four witnesses that could point the finger. This should have been just like that. Four shooters, officer on scene, three out of four perps deceased. But that just wasn't Bogo's luck.

He parked the vehicle and entered the store. He got some funny looks, but he ignored them as he paid for the meat and returned to his car. Once he was back behind the wheel he launched into thought again as he drove home. This case had been more of a pain in the ass than he had ever hoped for. Not only had one of his top officers been caught in the crossfire, but now she was on the run from a murderous hate group with a former criminal in the most dangerous part of the city. An area that most mammals in the rest of the city either ignored, or were just blissfully ignorant of. Though he didn't show it to the rest of the precinct, he was scared. Judy had managed to solve the Missing Mammals and Nighthowler cases by some miracle, but this case had already lead her on a much more dangerous road. Bogo did not doubt her skills as an officer, he doubted the longevity of her luck. She had been involved in multiple dangerous situations since she had started at the ZPD, and had always come out untouched. The O.M.F.U.M incident had been the first time she had sustained any injury in the field. He pulled into his drive way as he huffed.

His home was a two-story town house in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Savana Central. He got the groceries out of the passenger seat, and walked up to, and through, the yellow front door.

"I'm home!" Bogo called out as he closed the door behind him.

"Did you get the fish?" a voice called from the back of the house.

"Yes I did." Bogo responded as he walked towards the voice. "His favorite: Nile Perch."

Bogo rounded the small wall that cut the kitchen off from the rest of the house to see his wife chopping fresh lettuce and savanna grasses.

"How sweet of you." She cooed as the chief looked away.

"He's a friend." He gruffed.

"Even so, you don't normally show your soft side." His wife smiled.

"It's a tightly kept secret that I even have one." Bogo stated with a small chuckle. "Some of the rookies think that I'm a heartless bastard twentyfour-seven."

"You really should ease up on some of those poor shinnies." She said as she placed the chopped greens into a mixing bowl.

"My toughness prepares them for the realities of police work." Bogo explained. "If they ever let their guard down, they can die."

"Whatever you say, dear." His wife rolled her eyes as she tossed the salad with some veggies. "Would you mind cooking up that fish?"

Bogo glanced to the wall clock.

"I told Benjamin seven. It's only six-twelve." He pointed out, slightly confused.

"When has that cat been anything but way too early? Remember last Winter Solstice?" she sassed.

"Oh yeah." Bogo recalled the more than embarrassing scene that portly cheetah caused at the holiday party, or well before it rather. "I'll get to searing right away."

"Love you." His wife said in thanks.

Eighteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. Bogo had just finished cooking the fish. He walked up to the door and opened it to the sight of the large feline.

"Howdy, Chief." Clawhowser waved with his normal beaming smile.

"Good evening, Benjamin." Bogo greeted with a small smile. "You're a bit early."

"Sorry, Chief." The cheetah's body drooped. "I hope its not inconvenient."

"No." The Chief chuckled. "With you we've come to expect a…fashionably early arrival."

The cheetah straitened back up.

"Oh good." He smiled, more relaxed now.

"Please, come in." Bogo offered.

Clawhowser walked passed the buffalo only to see another one, albeit this one was slightly smaller, lighter in color, and female.

"Hello, Benji." Mrs. Bogo greeted with a smile.

"Hi, Martha. How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine." Martha said. "And how are you?"

"Same as ever." Clawhowser smiled. "Have you redecorated out here?"

Benji motioned to the front living room.

"Yes we have." Martha smiled. "We didn't really like the blue that covered everything."

"You didn't like it." Bogo mumbled.

"Like I said…" Martha gave a playful, but warning glance to her husband, "we just got tired of it. So we decided to go to our roots and give it a more savanna like feeling."

"I love it." Clawhowser remarked. "I especially adore these drapes. Where did you get them?"

Clawhowser motioned to the drapes that hung above the large front window. They had a vertical striped pattern with gold and a rich red in alternating bands. Golden braids of silk rope held them back, allowing the sun to shine through as it descended below the horizon.

"I made them." Martha stated proudly.

"No." Clawhowser gasped in mock disbelief.

"I found the fabric at this little craft shop down the block."

"They are beautiful." Clawhowser said.

"Thank you." Martha smiled.

"You know I don't want my salad to wilt." Bogo interjected.

"Oh I'm sorry." Martha apologized with a giggle. "You must be famished, Benji. Let's eat."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Ben said excitedly.

The dinner went as any normal dinner would. There was good food, pleasant conversation, and a relaxing ease to the night. But the real reason for the invite sat in the back of Bogo's mind throughout the night. When all three had eaten their fill, Martha put the dishes away with Ben's help.

"Why don't you go out to the living room?" Martha suggested. "Idris will be out there. I'll bring the cake out in a few minutes."

"Ok." Benji agreed, his tail wagging slightly at the promise of cake.

Clawhowser walked out to where Bogo was sitting in his recliner. Ben took a seat on the large, plush sofa opposite to the Chief. He waited for the Chief to speak, but after a few seconds he couldn't take it any longer.

"Why did you ask me over to dinner, chief?" Clawhowser asked.

"Because you are one of the few I consider a close friend at work." Bogo stated. "And I wanted to talk about something with you."

"What is it?" asked the cheetah, concerned.

"It's about, Hopps."

"Is Judy alright?" the cat asked as his heart stopped in trepidation.

"Like I said this morning: she seemed fine on the phone." The Chief assured.

Ben visibly relaxed as he let out a sigh.

"But," the Chief continued, "she is in the Menagerie."

"Why would she be there?" asked the cheetah in a mixture of confusion and concern.

"The fox, Wilde, took her there because he thought it would be safer there than here what with mammals hunting for them." Bogo explained. "Also I have been informed by Officer Hopps that some of the mammals hunting her might be in the ZPD or other government departments."

"How can that be?" Clawhowser asked.

"Bad mammals are everywhere, at every level." Bogo shrugged. "We saw that a year ago with Bellweather."

"I guess." Benji sighed. "So what are we going to do?"

"The group that Judy suspects is behind all of this is a prey supremacy group called the P.P.P., so I can't really trust any prey officers besides Hopps. However, I don't want this to get out amongst the ranks, so I am not calling IA and am not letting very many in on this. You are the first. I also plan to pull Delgado in on this."

"The Lion or the Wolf?" Clawhowser scratched his head.

"The Wolf. Judy's normal partner." Bogo said.

"Ah." Benji nodded.

"We have a lead, but in order to follow up on it I need a warrant, but to get a warrant I need a reason. I can't give the courts a reason in this situation in case one of them is on the wrong side of this." Bogo explained.

"I don't know what to tell ya, Chief." Clawhowser shrugged.

"It's alright, Ben." Bogo said. "I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I know you and Judy are close, and that you've been worried about her."

"Thanks, Chief. It means a lot." Said a grateful Clawhowser.

"Who wants cake?" Martha said as she walked into the room with three slices of her famous chocolate cake.

"I am!" Clawhowser exclaimed.

"Thank you, honey." Bogo said as his wife handed him his piece.

"Yeah, thanks Martha." Ben echoed.

"My pleasure."

They finished their dessert and conversed a bit more. Benji left around ten, and the Bogos decided to head towards bed soon after. The Chief struggled with insomnia, after so many years of late nights his body had a hard time sleeping at such reasonable hours. He finally drifted off around eleven-forty-five, only to be woken up twenty minutes later by his phone.

 _ **I won't give up, no I won't give in, Till I reach the end, And then I'll start again, Though I'm on the lead, I wanna try everything, I wanna try even though I could fail**_

"Bloodyfuckingpeiceamotherfucking…" the buffalo grumbled as he rolled over and picked up the offensive device. "Chief Bogo. What do you want?"

"Ah good. Just the Blueback I wanted to talk to." a cocky voice didn't answer.

"Who the fuck is this?" Bogo demanded.

"The fox that is protecting your token bunny, and who happens to have some juicy evidence that should help your side of this fucked up situation." Nick said in a cocky, now also annoyed tone.

"Go on."

* * *

Title credit goes to Operation Ivy. Please comment to let me know what you liked, disliked, or just otherwise thought. See ya in the next chapter!


	20. Chapter 19 (part 2)

_Well hello, folks! It has been some time hasn't it? So the good news is no I am not dead, I do plan on finishing this story, and this is not an April fool's joke. Life got nutso and I lost all motivation. This brings me to the one bit of bad news: I have no clue when the next chapter will be done. Not that I had a steady upload schedule to begin with, but now I might upload next month, or three months from now. Life is still crazy. Thank you for sticking with me! I hope that you like this chapter. Happy Easter and April Fools! Also Happy New Year, Merry Christmas/Chanukka/Kwanzaa/Festivus, Happy Valetine's, St. Patty's, and any other holidays I've missed._

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Unity (Part 2)**

Nick walked through the door that Judy had a few minutes prior. What he saw was a large dining and cooking area. The kitchen was to his left. There was a large industrial refrigerator, two ovens stacked vertically on each other, three toasters, large cabinets and counters, two microwaves, and the kitchen sink. Three girls were making themselves breakfast, one saw him and winked. He smiled awkwardly. Directly in front of him was a large dining table, big enough to seat twenty to thirty mammals easily. In the center of the large table sat a familiar gray bunny. She was talking on the house phone. She glanced up and saw him, he smiled as she looked back down and spoke to the mammal on the other side of the line. Then she looked back up.

"Nick." She said in an expecting tone. Motioning him over.

"Hm?" Nick asked as he jumped onto, and sat on, the table by the bunny.

"Was there any information about the identities of the mammals in the meeting the other night?" Judy asked, covering the mouth piece of the old land line.

"Uh, yeah." Nick thought hard to remember. "There was a list of names and numbers on the paper that had the meeting schedule."

"In the warehouse?" she pressed.

"Yeah." Nick nodded.

She then turned back to her conversation. Nick couldn't hear what the other mammal was saying, just that he had a very deep voice.

'I hope it's a he.' Nick thought with a shudder.

He also heard her address the mystery mammal as 'Chief'.

"Thank you, sir." Judy said with a hint of pride. "Sir?"

She set the handset down, the call having been ended.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"My boss." Judy replied as she shifted to get down from the table.

"The Chief?"

"Mhm." She answered as she walked towards the kitchen.

Nick watched the bunny walk around the counter. Once she was out of sight, he picked up the phone she had just put down, and hit redial. He noted the number down on a napkin and stuffed in his pocket.

"Do you want something to eat, Nick?" Judy called out from the kitchen.

Nick hopped down from the table, and started walking towards the bunny.

"What's in there?" he asked.

"Beetle Paste, Almond Milk, some leftover pasta and fish, eggs, lots of fruits and veggies…" Judy began listing.

Nick stuck his muzzle between Judy's ears to see into the large fridge.

"Any beer?" he asked.

"You have a problem." She pointed out, fighting the shudders running down spine from Nick's fur rubbing against her sensitive ears.

"One of many." He shrugged as he saw what he wanted. "Aha."

He grabbed a bottle of his favorite poison, and the tin of pasta.

"Beer and pasta for breakfast?" Judy asked, turning to watch him walk to the microwave.

"Had worse." Nick shrugged.

Judy huffed, and turned back to the refrigerator. She grabbed some savannah grasses, lettuce, and a small carrot. She heard the microwave turn on behind her, and a metallic 'tink' sound.

After a few minutes, they both were sitting next to each other at the table with their chosen meals. There was a short silence between the two as they ate. Judy broke the quiet.

"What's the plan for today?" She asked.

"Hm?" Nick was caught off guard by the question, his mouth full of food. "I was thinking that finding this Skinny guy and getting the scoop on what's been going on."

Judy nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea." She agreed.

Another long pause extended between them. It was the first time a silence had been truly uneasy. Nick knew she had something on her mind, so he waited for her to speak up. The longer he waited, the longer she remained silent. They finished their food, and Judy was about to get up when Nick finally broke.

"What's on your mind?"

"Wha? What do you mean?" Judy asked, putting a confused face on.

"You've had this sullen expression. You keep looking at me weirdly. What's going on?"

Judy just looked down at her empty salad bowl.

"Judy." Nick pressed. "What's going on?"

Judy sighed and her shoulders dropped.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"For what?"

Nick scooted closer to her.

"For…" her voice dropped off as she motioned to his face.

Nick understood.

"Don't you worry about this." He smiled. "Cuts and bruises heal."

"I should have been more aware." She said as she got up from the table.

"It wasn't your fault." Nick called after her as he got up and followed.

"I wasn't being situationally aware. It was a rookie mistake and it nearly got both you and me killed." Judy said, disdainfully as she walked away.

All Nick could do was watch as the bunny stomped through the door back out to the main foyer of the building. Powerless. That was a feeling he had gotten to know quite well over his short, hard life. He was powerless to save his parents, powerless to save Joey, and now he felt powerless to help the one mammal that brought not only brightness to his life, but peace. He stood with the familiar pit in his stomach. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He got up and put both of their bowls in the sink. He then followed the path Judy had taken. When he walked out into the foyer, it was mostly empty of clients. It was just the girls with Skye still sitting on the sofa. He gave her a questioning look, and she nodded her head towards the stairs. He nodded a thank you and started up the stairs back to the room.

He opened the door, and immediately shut it again upon seeing a half-naked rabbit. The skin under his fur a bright crimson.

"Sorry!" He croaked.

"Knock next time!" Judy said, as she hurried to finish strapping her sidearm to her side and put her clothes back on, as well as curb the fire of embarrassment that engulfed her entire body.

Nick waited a few minutes, trying to scrub the image of Judy's half-naked body from his memory as well as save to his long-term memory. After a while had passed, the door opened from behind him, sending him tumbling to the carpeted floor. He looked up to see the now fully clothed rabbit standing over him. He gave a weak, apologetic smile. She returned with a huff and light bop on his nose.

"Knock." Was all she said.

Nick held his nose and nodded. He got up and walked over to his bag and grabbed a new t-shirt, and pair of socks. Sitting on the bed he changed as Judy shielded her eyes. Nick smirked at her.

"There's a bathroom downstairs if you wanna wash your fur out a bit." Nick mentioned as he laced his boots.

"That would be nice…" she said as she rubbed her ears, the fur caked with the muck from the hoodie she had been wearing.

"Go on down then." Nick offered as he finished tying his boots. "I'll be in the main lobby waiting for you.

Judy smiled and nodded, as she turned and walked down the hall quickly. Nick watched her tail bounce as she hurried away.

'Fuck this imprinting shit.' He mentally cursed with a grin. 'Farrah Fawxett has nothing on that bunny.'

He stood and stretched as a saddening thought entered his mind.

'What if she doesn't think like that about me?' He glanced down the hall; Judy had left the door open in her hurry. 'I know that I like her, whether it be biologically driven or not, but does she like me too? I can't trust that kiss. That had to have been shock.'

His face dropped as he pondered on the thought.

'I'll ask Skye about it." He decided. 'She knows more about this shit than I do.'

He walked down to the main lobby of the whorehouse with intent. Determination in each step. Once in the large room at the bottom of the building, he searched for the silver fox. He found her by the small bar in the corner.

"Skye, I have a question." Nick announced as he approached.

"And what would that be?" Skye turned to face him.

"Um…well…" Nick stuttered, slightly embarrassed.

"Spit it out." She said, grinning.

"I, uh, well I wanted to, um, to know how, uh, how you can t-um-tell if somebody likes you…" Nick said as if he was a nervous teenager.

Skye laughed as Nick cast his eyes to his feet.

"And by somebody you mean somebunny, right?"

Nick's face burned hotter as he glanced to Skye and back to his feet.

"I thought so." Skye lounged against the bar. "I don't know much about bunny tendencies, but there are a few basic ones that most girls will do across the board. She might avoid eye contact, stutter some, mess with her fur or maybe ears in her case, and laugh at your jokes more. I don't know her so I can't say what her ticks would be, but I hope what I told you helps."

"Thanks." Nick looked up and smiled.

"So you're into bunnybutt, huh?" Skye grinned slyly.

Nick's face turned a burning red under his auburn fur. His paws clenching into fists in his embarrassment.

"Nick!" a voice called from the other side of the lobby.

'Thank god…' Nick thought as he turned to see a grey bunny walking over, the fur on her ears slightly wet.

"Ready to go?" she asked as she got close.

"Very." Nick answered eyes wide. "Let's go."

"Be safe you two." Skye chuckled, knowing full well that safe was a relative term.

They stepped into the cool, damp morning. The streets were full of mammals, but unlike in the main city, these mammals didn't seem to have anywhere to be or anything to do. They just stood around talking, smoking, and drinking. They gave the two small mammals strange looks as they walked by. Soon the two came to the end of the block were a small diner was located. The green neon read "Smokey's Di-er", as the 'n' was broken. They stepped in and found the name of the establishment to be accurate, because the first thing they met in the place was a wave of cheap cigarette smoke.

Around the counter sat ten or twelve rough looking mammals, mixed preds and prey. The rest of the diner had only three or four other mammals, all keeping quite with their eyes fixed on their food. One of the mammals at the bar, an antelope, walked up to Nick and Judy.

"Have a seat or get lost." He threatened.

Nick turned for a booth, but Judy cleared her throat and spoke authoritatively.

"Well actually we're looking for somebody."

The antelope was taken aback by the boldness of the small rabbit.

"And who are you lookin' for, little lady?" he responded, crossing his arms.

"Someone named Skinny?"

The antelope looked back to the others at the counter, all of whom shook their heads.

"Sorry." The antelope said. "Ya can't see him."

Judy's ears fell and she looked back at Nick. The fox stepped forward.

"Skye sent us."

The antelope turned back to the group. All of whom now nodded vigorously.

"Uh ok."

The antelope motioned them to follow him, and they did. Around the counter, through the back, and down a hidden staircase to a sort of foyer. It was simple concrete room with two velvet sofas against the two side walls. Straight ahead was a set of large wooden double doors. The antelope opened the doors to reveal a much more elaborate room. It was something out of an old gangster movie, just more run down. Everything in the room had a sense of passed grandeur, like that at one point these things could have decorated the study of a king, but now they were reduced to the office of a gang leader in a forgotten part of town. From the faded crimson carpet, tattered wingback chairs, and even the half-empty scotch bottles, the feeling of good times past permeated the room. The antelope walked to the large oak desk, and whispered to the mammal sitting behind it. The high-backed chair was turned away from the two visitors so that they could not see the figure in the chair. Once finished the antelope turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"So Skye sent you, huh?" a high, gravelly voice asked from the chair.

"Y-…" Nick started.

"Yes." Judy answered, cutting Nick off. "We wanted to talk about the NYD gang."

The chair turned around revealing the owner of the voice. An orange bobcat in a faded pinstripe suit smiled down at them. A fat cigar sat in his lips.

"Ah, the Nids? What you want with them?" the curious cat looked at them with a questioning look.

"We are investigating a group in Zootopia that might have ties to them." Judy explained professionally.

The cat just nodded his head with a contemplative expression.

"There are potential links to the Night Howler scandal from last year." Judy added, attempting to draw interest from the gangster before her, but he sat still. "Would you mind me asking a few questions about the NYD?"

"I don't talk to coppers." The cat stated flatly.

Judy's ears dropped slightly.

"Sir, this will not put you-"

"I said no, flatfoot." Skinny snarled, Nick stepped closer to the rabbit protectively. "Get outta my office before I lose my temper."

"But sir-" she felt a firm paw on her shoulder.

"Judy, go outside. I'll take care of this."

She looked up to see Nick giving her a serious look. Her ears fell completely as she conceded.

Nick waited for the door to close before turning back to the aggravated gangster.

"I said I don't talk to cops." Skinny bared his fangs.

"Do I look like a fuckin' cop?" Nick asked.

The cat surveyed the fox. Colored fur, leather jacket, broken teeth. If the fox was a cop, he wasn't like any cop he had seen.

"No."

"Then will you talk to me?"

The cat glared at him. Nick waited expectantly.

"Five minutes."

Judy waited for what felt like an eternity. She was concerned for Nick, but she was more frustrated with herself. 'What kind of cop am I?' she paced in front of the large office doors. 'I can't even lead my own investigation…I have to rely on some degenerate, punk fox to do the talking and save my pelt. And why has he saved me? He said he has a hatred for police, so why would he save me? He doesn't need me to carry an investigation; he has plenty of resources…' The faces of Koslov, Skye, and his old gang flashed in her mind's eye, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. 'Maybe he wants me for legal reasons? No. He wouldn't care about that. He hasn't acted like he's needed me this whole time. Well…maybe he cares about me?' her ears shot to the sky at that thought. She knew she had a bit of a crush on him. The rough, rebellious nature went against everything she believed, yet also struck a familiar chord with her since she quote-unquote rebelled against her parents when she became a police officer. He was foreign and familiar, dissonant and still sweet to the ear, he was nothing that she thought she would ever want and still she felt drawn to him. Her mind went back to the night in the alley when she kissed him. Her erect ears turned a violent shade of red as they snapped down to her back. 'That was so stupid of me.' She cringed. 'Stupid adrenaline.' She glanced towards the office. 'He's been in there a while. I hope he's ok.' Judy continued to pace with not but her anxious thoughts for company. She heard the sound of a lock and turned to the doors. Finally, the doors opened to reveal a smiling fox.

"What did he say?" She asked, with a hint of relief.

"He confirmed what we thought." Nick reported as they walked out of the hideout. "A month before the Night Howler shit went down, some rams from the main city paid our predatorial prey a visit. A week later the guy in control now came to power, then the purge began. All preds that were members of the gang were killed. A few weeks after that, they started pushing and taking ground with weapons they couldn't have possibly bought, or stolen for that matter, on their own."

"So…they did have outside support." Judy said thoughtfully as she noted the information in her notebook.

"And the support began close to the timeline that you had already figured." Nick nodded.

"But how do we know that those rams were connected to Bellweather, the P.P.P., or the Ghosts?" Judy thought out loud. "It's pure speculation right now."

"If we can find the names of those rams, or people affiliated, you can have your chief check their records." Nick shrugged.

Judy looked to the fox dumbfounded. She never expected that kind of suggestion from him.

"Um, yeah. That could work." She agreed.

Nick grinned at the surprise in her voice.

The rest of the day consisted of brainstorming and planning for the next day. As it was beginning to get dark, just after dinner, Nick went out for a walk. After convincing Judy he was fine to go alone, that is. He walked down to Smokey's Diner. He stepped through the doors, and was suddenly the focus of the whole diner.

"I've got a reservation." The fox declared to the room.

A lynx waitress walked up to him with a smile.

"Right this way, sir."

She led him down the same path he and Judy had taken earlier in the day. She ushered him into the office of faded grandeur that the gang's boss called home. The bobcat in question sat behind his large desk, this time with a lion standing next to him.

"Welcome back, Nicholas." Skinny smiled.

"Thanks for helping." Nick nodded back.

"Anything to get a leg up on a rival." The bobcat chuckled. "This is King, his is my top lieutenant." The lion nodded, Nick returned the greeting. "He will give you what you need. Now if you will excuse me." The bobcat glanced to the waitress that had showed Nick down. "I have some business to attend to."

With that the small cat hurriedly exited with the waitress in tow. Nick looked to King with an awkward and questioning expression. The large cat simply shrugged.

"You're not here to critique my boss' hobbies." He started. "What do you need?"

Nick sighed and reverted back to his criminal days.

"I got some basic information from your boss. Time of shift change, security levels, simple layout." Nick stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Then what else do you need?" The cat crossed his arms, staring sternly at the fox.

"Some equipment, and a more in depth run through of the building."

Nick could see the wheels turn behind the lion's golden eyes.

"Ok." King nodded. "I can give you the current floor plan of the building, but what kind of equipment do you want?"

Nick smiled and took a step forward.

"I need a weapon. Pistol preferably, but a blade will do. A flashlight. Um…let's see I brought my lock kit…I need a bag. Backpack, satchel, I don't give a fuck; I just need a bag."

Nick again watched the wheels behind in the lion's head. He was obviously a thinking type.

"Doable." The lion nodded as Nick smiled. "Anything else?"

"Yes." Nick crossed his arms and became even more serious than he already was. "I need one guy as back up."

The lion shook his head.

"That was not discussed. Not in the cards. I won't risk one of my guys for this."

"They don't have to bail me out if I'm caught or anything. I just need them across the street or something as a lookout." Nick explained.

"I can't." the lion denied again.

"Is there no one? All I need is a set of eyes. Couldn't you spare a grunt or a prospect?" Nick pleaded.

He knew that any infiltration was a suicide run without a lookout. Once again, Nick watched the wheels grind. For a few minutes, the lion's brain turned until he sighed and dropped his shoulders.

"I might have a mammal for you, but other than keep eyes on your back he will do nothing else."

"That's all I need him to do." Nick smiled in relief.

Nick walked down the dark, dirty street with a young panther in tow.

'I can't believe they gave me a fucking kid…' Nick grumbled mentally.

They kept to the shadows, slipping through the avenues and alleyways like phantoms. After nearly half an hour of walking, they arrived at their destination. The glow from the police station faintly lit the opposite side of the street where they stood. Nick looked to the panther and made a series of paw gestures that roughly translated to, "Stay here. Watch me and the door. Radio if there's danger."

After making sure his partner understood his message, Nick crossed the street. He scanned the front counter through the glass door. He saw the ram mamming it get up and walk away. He glanced to the clock above the desk and saw it read five minutes to ten.

'Ah you lazy fuck. Shift change is in five minutes.' Nick thought with a smile.

He slipped through the front door. The station looked a century old. Cold tile covered every surface, at one point, Nick could tell, the tile had been white, but now it was a grungy grey. No cameras, or any technology that looked newer than twenty years old.

Following the simple map in his head around the dim, fluorescent-lit halls, he found the precinct captain's office. He found the door unlocked, much to his surprise. As he eased the door open, he saw that the office was larger than most, and that there were two desks. Both had the same name on the little placard that all desks seem to have. Hanging over both desks also hung an identical picture: two identical moose holding their police academy diplomas.

'So those two numb-nuts that were looking for me and Judy earlier are actually the captains?' Nick shook his head in amusement.

Nick spent an hour rummaging through papers and files looking for any clues. All he found were reports, budget break downs, and a few strange poems apparently written from one sibling to the other. Finally he gave up and was about to leave when something caught his eye. One of the pictures on the wall, a picture of then Mayor Bellweather, was cocked to the side. The paint on the wall looked scuffed, as if the picture had been moved frequently. Nick moved one of the moose-sized chairs under the painting so he could reach it. Behind the picture he found a hole in the wall, and inside the hole he found some papers. On the top of the every page was a logo that consisted of a crest that was flanked by a lamb and a deer, the crest itself was the crest of Zootopia, and the scroll underneath read: Protect the Weak, Right the Wrongs, Hunt the Hunter. As he skimmed the papers he quickly found that they were in fact for the P.P.P. He landed on one page that was titled "Contacts". Listed on it were names, numbers, and districts. He quickly folded the paper and shoved it in his bag as his small radio crackled.

"Bogeys. Two moose, one ram." Was all that was said.

"Shit." Nick swore under his breath.

He quickly returned the rest of the papers to their hiding place, and moved the chair back. As he was heading for the door he heard hoofsteps coming down the hall.

'Shit. Shit. Shit!' Nick thought.

"We wanna tank ya for meet'n' us 'ere." Bruce said as he unlocked his shared office.

"Oh yeah." Pruce concurred. "Real nice o' ya. We know it's a long trip."

"It was a journey." Art confirmed, his voice weary from travel.

The two moose sat at their respective desks and the ram stood where he could see them both.

"I should thank you, officers, for agreeing to meet me." Art smiled professionally.

"Oh no." Pruce denied.

"When we found da head man 'ad word for us, we 'ad ta say yes." Bruse added.

"Ya. We still been givin' dem NYD boys room ta run, but dere ain't been much comin' from 'em since Bellwedder went to da slammer." Pruce finished.

Art nodded and mentally smirked at the twin's chemistry.

"Well I'm here to tell you to tell them that support will begin again soon. The organization is nearly back in order." The ram took his glasses off and cleaned the lenses as he spoke. "As you know when Dawn was incarcerated the organization fell into a bit of chaos." The moose nodded to show their understanding. "Head Protector Hamilton has been working very hard to bring that chaos back under control, but with his day job it has been difficult."

"Oh I bet." Pruce interrupted. "Down here every cop's crooked, but in de main city dere's more scrutiny. 'Specially for a Deputy Cheif."

"SHH!" Art hissed at the moose. "Be mindful of what you say, you antlered nincompoop." The ram scolded in a hushed voice. "You never know who or what might be listening."

"Right. Sorry."

"Now. As I was saying. Soon the subjugation of Predatorkind will begin again in earnest. Wait for the signal, then loose the NYD on this filth ridden slum of a district."

Both moose stood and saluted.

"Yessir!" they said in unison.

The ram smiled.

"Good. Now I must get back to the main city."

As he stood, the moose said goodbye. Once he had left the office they dropped back in their chairs.

"What a prick!" Pruce exclaimed.

"That one's gotta stick up 'is arse." Bruce agreed.

"Good ta 'ear dat we'll be getting' back at it, doh." Pruce shrugged.

"Yeah." Bruce nodded. "Took dat hog too long ta get us back on line."

Pruce shrugged again.

"Tink 'e's gone?" Bruce asked.

"Probably." Pruce nodded. "Why?"

"Let's go to da Rack Room. Few drinks, few girls?"

"Dem girls do like da uniform." Pruce grinned.

"Well let's get goin' den!"

The two antlered mammals left quickly, leaving nothing but a grinning fox under one of the desks.

Nick made his way back to Skye's. He dropped the young panther off at the diner and debriefed King on the information he felt the lion needed to know. He knew that said information would rekindle the gang war, but that wasn't any fur off his back. Besides if a blow could be made against the NYD before they got their backing again, then it needed to be made. Right now they had the upperpaw, they needed to capitalize on it.

It was nearly midnight when he walked through the doors of the establishment he currently called home. The usual activities were taking place: Drinking, groping, flirting, a lap dance here and there. He shook his head in disgust and walked through the door into the employee only area. He found the phone and dialed the number he had copied that morning.

"Chief Bogo. What do you want?" Was the response after a few seconds of ringing.

"Ah good. Just the Blueback I wanted to talk to." Nick answered with a grin and cocky tone.

"Who the fuck is this?" Bogo demanded, obviously not happy to be on the phone at such a late hour.

"The fox that is protecting your token bunny, and who happens to have some juicy evidence that should help your side of this fucked up situation." Nick replied, holding the cocky tone, but adding a serious edge that came of as sounding annoyed.

There was a long pause before the gruff voice spoke again.

"Go on."

* * *

 _Title credit: Operation Ivy. Thank you for reading, following, and commenting! See ya...at some point not too terribly long from now._


End file.
